White Heart, Black Snow
by Uber Prinny Lord
Summary: Rukia has an inner hollow, and it's coming after Ichigo; what could possibly happen as these two different individuals clash with one another? And what will happen to Rukia...?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

* * *

Today, more than ever before, Rukia found herself extremely bored in the math class; it's not like she was a delinquent, she just preferred slaying hollows and helping souls move on rather than learn about triangles and whatnot.

Among other things, she was thinking about the headache she woke up with that morning - while experiencing a headache was fairly common among gigais, Rukia was more concerned with what she had seen in her dream prior to that headache: she was in her inner world, which was a beautiful, white field of never-ending snow, excluding a frozen lake with some trees near it in the distance; she was surprised, to say the least, since the last time she had been there was when she had learned how to execute the second dance with the help of Sode no Shirayuki; this time, however, she did not feel her presence and merely walked about for an hour or so before she woke up.

Rukia had become so bored that she had slowly begun to fall asleep, but...

_You should pay more attention in class, Rukia..._

Rukia had all but snapped her head up at the sound of the creepy, distorted voice that she had just heard in her mind; not that some voices would scare her, but she was shocked by the fact that the voice was almost similar to hers... What could that mean ?

Seeing as how she didn't want to risk encountering the person - or _thing_ - behind it, Rukia had gone to the bathroom and washed her face; as she looked at the mirror, even if it was for a mere second, Rukia swore that her eyes were black and gold - perhaps her mind was simply playing tricks on her ?

She had later gone on to slay hollows with Ichigo - the hollows themselves weren't much of a challenge, but Rukia was beginning to hold back when she realized that she was actually having _fun_ taking out those hollows, especially if they screamed when they died.

Noticing that Rukia had become slightly pale, Ichigo asked half-casually half-worriedly: "Everything ok, midget ?"; forgetting herself for a moment, Rukia kicked Ichigo in the shin, smirking: "I'm much better now, thank you."

The rest of the day went by quickly, Ichigo and Rukia eventually making their way to Ichigo's room; as soon as she fell asleep, Rukia had once again found herself in her inner world, but something felt off this time.

"Sode no Shirayuki! Are you here ?"; no one answered.

Rukia began walking around, eventually arriving at the lake; she took her time and looked at it for a while, admiring its beauty.

When she turned back and began walking once more, the snow - that was falling up till then - suddenly began falling faster; Rukia figured it was probably a natural occurrence in her inner world, but she began worrying as the weather was quickly becoming stormy; before long, Rukia caught herself caught in a vicious snowstorm, gripping her clothes tightly in an attempt to stay warm; it had proved to be futile, however, as Rukia could no longer stand the cold and fainted.

As no part of Rukia's body could be seen, the storm subsided; everything was silent once more.

The only thing breaking that silence was the sound of footsteps of a figure that walked up to where Rukia had fainted; the figure said nothing as it looked at Rukia and grinned evilly...

Later that night, Ichigo - who was dreaming about his encounter with Ulquiorra and Yammy - suddenly woke up when he realized he was unable to breathe; indeed, a pair of hands was strangling him, leading his gaze to Rukia - only, her eyes were black and gold, like his hollow's, and she was sadistically smiling at him.

"**Yo. About time we met, _Ichigo_ !**"

* * *

I know, there's no mask, but that's because I'm saving the design for the end.

Like with the rest of my fics, reviews are welcome !


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

* * *

Ichigo was in deep trouble: for starters, he was being chocked by Rukia, or rather her inner hollow; he was in his human body, so fighting back was out of the question; his father and sisters were on vacation (he had homework) so he was left alone in the house.

Noticing his distress, the hollow chuckled: "**Relax, Ichigo, I'm not gonna kill you...**"; she had let go of his neck, allowing him to breathe; his relief was short-lived, however, as the hollow said: "**... but I'm gonna make you wish you _were_ dead!**"

Ichigo had no chance to retort as she covered his mouth with one hand and pulled his nuts hard with the other; though muffled, Ichigo's pained scream was fairly audible, much to the sick pleasure of his tormentor.

She had eventually let go of his "little friends" and grinned at the glare that he had sent her way; catching him off-guard, the hollow slapped him, leaving blood marks on account of her extended nails.

Having had some fun, the hollow resumed strangling him; Ichigo barely managed to ask: "Why the hell are you doing this?! Why won't you just kill me or whatever?!"; the hollow evilly grinned at him: "**You really are dense, aren't you? Fine, I'll tell you what's up: if I kill you, your immense reiatsu would vanish, and there's no way it would go unnoticed by the Seireitei; seeing as how Rukia is the one physically closest to you at the moment, she'd most likely be detained or even executed, and that would take my fun away... I _don't_ want that to happen, Ichigo.**"

Ichigo's glare intensified: "Even if that is true, why the hell did you come for me rather than just go and devour human souls? Isn't that what hollows do?"; the hollow's grin vanished, replaced with a scowl: "**Unbelievable. You must be the most retarded Soul Reaper in existence. don't you get it? If I remain near you, your massive reiatsu will provide cover for me, hiding the fact that I'm emitting hollow reiatsu; if I were to go after humans, my reiatsu would be picked up in no-time, making it much more difficult for me to act. Still...**" - she grinned at Ichigo's bewildered expression - "**... tormenting you might just be as fun as hunting down humans, wouldn't you say?**"

Ichigo snarled at her: "For all I care, you're using Rukia's body for your own sick purposes, you bi --" - Ichigo didn't get to finish the sentence as the hollow slapped him once more and intensified the force of her strangling arm, saying: "**As much as it's fun for me to watch you squirm like the worm you are, I'd prefer you shut your mouth and cooperate; if you don't...**" - she grabbed his manhood once more, making him wince - "**... I'll make you even less a man than you already are. Understood?**"

If there was one thing that Ichigo despised, it was being helpless while his friends were in trouble; still, maybe if he cooperated like she said, she would get bored with him and let Rukia go for a while.

He could not have been more mistaken.

"**Now, what am I going to do with you...? Hey, I know: let's play "Break the Strawberry" - you know the rules, right?**"; the hollow grabbed Ichigo''s right arm and began twisting it clock-wise: "**There's just one rule: if you manage not to scream for five seconds, I'll let go of whatever body-part I'm holding. If you do so much as squeak, however, I'll break it and move on to the next one. Think you can win, Ichigo?**"

Ichigo did his best not to scream his guts out as his arm was twisted in a full 360, the hollow whispering in his ear: "**Give up, Ichigo, it's all you humans are good for, anyway - that, and being food.**"; Ichigo did not scream - he was not about to let this sicko get what she wanted.

The hollow scoffed: "**Che. Guess I was too soft, huh? Alright, let's move on to the bonus round, then!**"; she intensified even further her grip on Ichigo's manhood, whispering in his ear: "**If you manage not to scream for 20 seconds, I'll let you go for the night; fail, however, and I'll rip it off and move on to the next body-part. You ready?**"

Ichigo, in spite of all the battles he had gone through to this point, had mentally admitted that this was the most painful experience he had ever gone through, and prayed that his body would endure this torment.

At the end of the 20 seconds, the hollow had let go of his body and moved towards the window, preparing to leave - she turned her head back to him and spared him one last monstrous grin: "**I must say, you're as tough as you boast; don't worry, though: I'll be back soon enough, and I promise I wll break your body and soul, and you'll beg me to stop... Nighty night,** _**Ichigo.**_"

As the hollow vanished, Ichigo screamed into his hands in desperation.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

* * *

He was too tired to even lift his head and look at the chalkboard - considering the events of the night before and the lack of sleep that followed, however, it wasn't too surprising.

The events of that night kept replaying in his head, never letting go of his consciousness; true, the hollow did not kill him nor was she intending to do so, but she was breaking him down, slowly but surely.

The worst part, however, was the fact that he couldn't even look at Rukia anymore - he was simply too frightened, with the torture he had gone through keeping him from even saying good morning to her: as soon as she had come down to eat breakfast, Ichigo left the table and rushed to school, even though he had 30 minutes to spare.

This did not escape Ichigo's companions - Ishida, Chad and Orihime - who would occasionally approach him and ask if everything was ok; what could he possibly tell them, though? That he was attacked by a possessed Rukia? No doubt Ishida's infamously known hatred for Soul Reapers would quickly manifest itself upon hearing such news.

No, this was something for Ichigo to handle, _alone_.

Trying to clear his thoughts, Ichigo went to the bathroom and washed his face; he suddenly stopped when he heard footsteps behind him - no one was there.

Ichigo figured that his mind was probably still recovering from the abuse he had gone through, so he waved it off and washed his hands; caught off-guard, Ichigo felt his head being grabbed and it was slammed against the bathroom mirrors, shattering them and giving Ichigo some nasty cuts on his face.

When he saw the face of his attacker, he was paralyzed with fear: it was _her_ again, revealing a toothy grin to him; "**Missed me?**"

She tossed him hard to the ground, only to lift him again and proceed to one of the toilets - as soon as she raised the seat, she shoved Ichigo's head into the water, keeping him down there for as long as he could hold his breath.

When she pulled him out, he was panting and trying not to faint due to the massive blood loss; the hollow released him, then grabbed him by the hair and said: "**What did you think, that after just one visit I'd let you off the hook? Last night, hell - even this - is nothing compared to what's coming next. I wasn't joking when I said I would break you, Ichigo: whatever your weak spot is, I'll find it and stomp on it until you finally can't take it anymore and your soul will shatter; no matter what you do, no matter who you'll turn to, I will _always_ be there, waiting for my chance to strike. Until next time, Ichigo...**"; that was the last thing he had heard before he fainted.

After being found by Tatsuki and treated to by the school nurse, Ichigo was inquired by - how ironic - Rukia, as to who was it that beat him up like this; "It was one of the school bullies. Apparently, I beat their leader a couple of days ago, so he crept up on me and slammed my face against the mirror."

Rukia wasn't entirely convinced, but her concern for Ichigo made her dismiss her doubts: "If you say so. Just make sure you don't strain yourself while recovering, alright ?"; Ichigo, not looking at her, nodded.

Meanwhile, Ishida conversed with Chad and Orihime about Ichigo's behaviour; Ishida was the first to talk: "Kurosaki, though mostly on edge, was even more jumpy today; as a matter of fact, he almost seemed frightened."; Chad added: "I happened to have noticed that he's been avoiding any kind of contact with Rukia - do you think there's a connection?"; Orihime's voice was filled with concern: "Maybe they had a fight or something? Ichigo cares for Rukia greatly, so I wouldn't be surprised if even the slightest disagreement between them would hurt Ichigo."

Ishida crossed his arms: "Whatever it is, I suggest we keep an eye on Kurosaki for now, just in case anything suspicious happens; we may not come up with anything, but it pays playing it safe in his case."; Orihime and Chad nodded, effectively ending the conversation.

* * *

Ichigo was sitting quietly on his bed, thinking deeply in an attempt to come up with a solution to his "tormentor" issue; what kept getting in his way, however, was the fact that the hollow was acting - in his opinion - in a manner that was entirely unlike any other hollows he had encountered: he had assumed that she would lose her interest in him after some time and move on to someone who would break more easily, but she seemed determined to crush him, and him alone.

The strange part was, that he was never even aware of her existence prior to their first meeting; why was it, then, that she had decided to focus all of her attention on him? Did she have a grudge against him or something?

Suddenly, Ichigo had come up with an idea...

* * *

The hollow was making her way to Ichigo's house, having taken over once more after Rukia had disposed of some hollows; quietly entering his room through the window, the hollow gazed upon his sleeping figure as she had a lust-filled grin on her face and she said (to herself and Ichigo): "**You take great pride in being a virgin, don't you? You think you're some kind of a saint just because you don't lust after girls - tonight, I'm gonna take your innocence and soul and tear them apart, and trust me when I say that you are going to _love_ it...**"; she was about to undress him, but was surprised to find Zangetsu near her throat; then, much to her surprise, she heard: "So that's your big plan? You think making me lose my virginity would break me? Give me a break."

Turning around, the hollow's eyes were the ones that widened in surprise as she faced a scowling Ichigo...


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

* * *

She couldn't believe she had just been out-smarted by Ichigo, who she considered all but dense; and to think, he now had complete power over her - it angered her, but also slightly turned her on... Not that she'd say that out loud, anyway.

Returning the scowl, the hollow said: "**Che. What a mess. There's pretty much nothing either of us can do right now: you won't kill me out of fear for your precious Rukia, while I won't kill you because I'd be blowing my cover; looks like to me we've arrived at a stalemate.**"

To her surprise, Ichigo removed Zangetsu and sheathed it; noticing the look on her face, Ichigo clarified: "You're right: I can't hit Rukia, let alone kill her; while I'd rather not be molested or whatever it is you have in store, I have to stick to my guns."

What the hollow did next took Ichigo by shock: she had back-slapped him, then picked him up by the shirt, glaring and hissing: "**You _dare_ take pity on me? You think I can't handle fighting against you?! Let me tell you something: I could've killed you five times already and you'd never have the chance to even try and slash me; I don't give a damn about your conscience - to a hollow, receiving pity is nothing short of an insult !**"

Not giving him the chance to talk any more, the hollow rushed out of the window, searching for hollows to kill in order to vent her anger; she knew that Ichigo would probably give chase, but she wasn't ready to face him again, not until she could calm down and think on what to do with his sudden display of forgiveness: she had abused his manhood, slammed his head against glass, nearly drowned him and was inches away from brutally violating him - how could anyone be that forgiving ?!

* * *

_**Ngrh... !**_

_You seem troubled._

_**None of your business, bitch !**_

_Insult me as much as you please, but it will not erase your uneasiness._

_**You really are a nosy one, Shirayuki.**_

_When it comes to the other side of my wielder, being concerned is natural for me; now, do tell, what is it about Ichigo that disturbs you so ?_

_**Why the hell should I tell you? You'd probably just scold me or whatever, goody-two-shoes.**_

_Though you may not believe it, I only wish to help; I cannot do that, however, if you are to close yourself._

_**...It's his eyes... Ever since he came to the Soul Society and rescued the Queen - since I had awoken at the execution grounds - whenever he would look at her, his gaze sickened me: he looked with so much kindness and acceptance - I knew it was meant for her, but it felt like he was aiming that look at me. Why would he look at me like that? Him, a shinigami and a human, looking like that at me, a hollow, a monster made of instincts? I couldn't stand it. So I've decided: I would break him piece by piece, so that he would never look at her - at me - like that ever again; whatever I cannot understand is my enemy, and all enemies must be crushed mercilessly.**_

_Are you saying that you do not deserve that gaze ?_

_**I'm saying that just looking at him makes my blood boil; oh, what wouldn't I give to see him glare at me, insult me, do whatever it is that's to be expected in conversations between shinigami and hollows. No matter what I tried, he just keeps looking at me like that - it's insulting, it's demeaning! I swear I will crush his soul and kill him from the inside, I swear it !!**_

_It seems I've over-estimated you, then... Forgive my intrusion. I shall bother you no more.

* * *

_'**What a relief! I thought she'd never stop running her mouth, that righteous old hag; as soon as I break Ichigo and take over this body permanently, I am personally going to fu --**'; the hollow didn't get to finish that thought, as she narrowly dodged... an arrow ?

She had to time to ponder on this, however, as more arrows came her way; she had done a good job dodging them all, eventually managing to block one of them - scoffing, she (without speaking) fired a Sukatsui (sp?) at a random direction.

Thing is, the attacker just so happened to be exactly in her line of fire - she should not be underestimated.

Facing her, the attacker said: "Fancy meeting you here, Kuchiki; out for a midnight stroll, I take it ?"

The hollow bared her teeth and hissed: "**Quincy...**"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

* * *

"I must admit, while I was suspicious of Ichigo's behaviour towards you, it still amazes me that it had turned out to be something of this magnitude."; the hollow scowled at her attacker, Ishida Uryuu, and said: "**Now what? You gonna turn me in or something? This night just keeps getting better...**"

Ishida adjusted his glasses, answering: "I'm afraid you've confused me with someone else: a shinigami would most likely knock you out or try to reason with you, taking Rukia's status as a Kuchiki into consideration..." - Ishida raised his bow, aiming it at the hollow - "...but that does not apply to a Quincy; seeing as how this body is now of both shinigami and hollow, I have all the more reason to exterminate it."

The hollow smirked: "**Kill me? What a joke! Go ahead and try, if you _can_** **!**"; she rushed at him, attempting to stab him in the chest, but Ishida knew better than to stay still: using his Hirenkyaku - the Quincy's version of Shunpo - Ishida dodged the blow, jumped high into the night sky and fired multiple reiastsu-infused arrows at the hollow at killer speed.

Scowling, the hollow slashed away at the arrows, determined to prove to this damned Quincy that she was no pushover; her pride had gotten the best of her, however, as Ishida used her efforts against her by using Hirenkyaku once more, reappearing behind her and firing an arrow at her shoulder - the arrow struck true, causing the hollow to hiss in pain.

His face devoid of emotion, Ishida said: "This is interesting: I was expecting a hollow version of Kuchiki to prove much more difficult to handle than the real thing, but seeing you moving around sluggishly and being pierced by one of my arrows from behind, it almost seems as if you are distracted; am I right, hollow ?"; "**Damned Quincy... !**" - the hollow, much to Ishida's shock, used high-speed regeneration, healing her wound; that was not the end of the surprises, though, as she pointed her sword at him and said: "**First dance... Tsukikuro***"

Ishida was barely able to dodge the circle of black ice that formed around him, his eyes wide in shock: he had seen Rukia use her dances before, but this alteration - which was faster and more powerful than the original version - had caught him off-guard.

The hollow grinned evilly at him: "**Don't tell me you thought I'd rely solely on my swordsmanship, Quincy; it should've been obvious to you in particular that any technique Rukia can perform, I can perform faster and more efficiently. As far as you should be concerned, it's as if you're fighting her if she were a fukutaicho, perhaps even a taicho - or, have you forgotten the last taicho you had gone up against? Poor, poor Grandpa Quincy, used as a test subject while still breathing... HA !"**

The hollow's plan to provoke Ishida had worked: he was now focuesed on simply firing arrows repeatedly at her, not bothering to use Hirenkyaku or use any other itmes or techniques in his disposal.

At least, that's how the hollow saw things; trying to pierce Ishida, she hit only air as Ishida - who had faked being provoked - used Hirenkyaku one final time and reappeared behind her again; turning to face him, the hollow's eyes widened as she was inches away from his bow - no matter how fast she was, there was no way she could dodge that arrow without being critically injured, not to mention killed - she had _lost_.

Appearing out of nowhere, Ichigo took Ishida and the hollow by surprise as he stood between them, Ishida's bow aimed at his heart; scowling, Ichigo said: "That's enough, Ishida - I'll take care of things now."; the Quincy, however, would have none of that as he replied: "Seems to me you do not quite understand the gravity of the situation, Kurosaki: if it were a normal hollow, then defeating it would not be an issue; however, seeing as this hollow inhibits the body of a shinigami, it would be nearly impossible for a fellow shinigami to face it in combat, let alone defeat it. Therefore, it is only logical that someone who is not in the least affiliated with the shinigami will handle the situation. Do you understand, Kurosaki ?"

Ichigo glared at him: "And what exactly would you have done if I hadn't shown up just now ?"; Ishida answered coldly: "What had to be done for the sake of the people; or have you forgotten that this is why you've become a shinigami in the first place ?"; Ichigo grabbed Ishida's bow and lowered it: "I know you've got some bad blood with the shinigami, Ishida, but if you have even the slightest trust in me, then please let me handle this one."

Ishida thought it over for about half a minute, then lowered his bow and turned around, saying: "Very well; the hollow is yours to handle. Just remember: any blood shed by its hands will forever be on your conscience, Kurosaki."; Ishida vanished, leaving Ichigo and the hollow alone.

Ichigo turned at the hollow, who stared at him with murder written in her eyes; clenching her fists, she said: "**Bastard... Not only have you insulted me and crushed my pride, you have now returned to stomp on its remains and mock me; have you no honor, no decency, shinigami ?!**"

Ichigo shook his head and said: "I told you already, I intend to solve this without violence; I'm sorry if I had insulted you or whatever, but this is what I believe in and I'm not going to change my mind anytime soon."; the hollow glared at him, but then her expression became cold and she unclenched her fists: "**So no matter what I do, you simply will not break, will you? Fine. Only one way remains, then...**"; catching Ichigo off-guard, she reappeared next to him by using Sonido, then grabbed his head and focused her reiatsu on him.

Ichigo had blacked out, waking up a minute later in a vast snowy field; before he could try and figure out where he had ended up at, he spotted a figure standing in the distance: it was wearing a white robe, wielding a black sword and it had black & gold eyes and skin white as bleach; what Ichigo was focused on, however, was the fact that she looked exactly like Rukia - a bleached version of her, that is, reminding him of the appearance of his hollow.

The hollow got into a battle stance and said with silent, yet angered, voice: "**I've changed my mind: I don't care anymore if my cover is blown - the only thing I desire right now... is to _kill you_.**"

* * *

Next time, the hollow will finally be given a name !

* Tsukikuro is basically my alteration of Tsukishiro, Rukia's first dance; the name should probably make sense if you think about it.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

* * *

His heart was in pain, that much could be said; the being standing in front of him was Rukia, and yet she wasn't Rukia - she said she wanted to kill him, but he couldn't say the same for her. The silence in the snowy field that was Rukia's inner world only added to his confusion and helplessness; whenever it would come down to matters of the heart, Ichigo would swing between two extremes: he would either be unbelievably dense or he could be compassionate and understanding, entirely shattering his demeanor.

He felt Zangetsu shake in his hands as his determination, his resolve, had begun to falter against his will; he knew that he wouldn't be able to do his very best should he fight Her, far from it - he would most likely provide her with more than enough openings to finish him off before he even had the chance to retaliate. In spite of knowing this, Ichigo wished to solve the conflict in a peaceful manner, he knew that there was something more significant happening in his opponent's mind, and fighting wouldn't provide him the answers he was seeking.

On the other hand, there was Her - she maintained her stance, ready to strike at any moment, but she was somewhat intrigued by Ichigo's obvious hesitation: his gaze showed uncertainty, he did not even from a battle stance and his blade was shaking in his hands. She had already known that Ichigo did not hate her, in spite of the physical and mental abuse she had put him through recently; however, she couldn't say the same for herself: as far as she was concerned, Ichigo was merely a fool of a boy who had little to no chance of defeating her in combat. She wanted to hate him, she really did, but she simply couldn't bring herself to do so, which - ironically - only increased her anger towards the strawberry youth.

She had come close to lowering her blade, but she soon met his eyes and her anger was renewed; even if she did not hate Ichigo, she despised his eyes, the eyes that had caused her doubt and confusion. In a world that was meant to be black and white, his eyes made her think of grey, and that was unacceptable. Shinigami and hollows were sworn enemies since the dawn of time, nothing could change that: cats and dogs, peace and war, heaven and hell - these were all parallels of the violent relationship between the shinigami and hollows. She would be **damned** if she let herself forget that.

Initiating the battle, She rushed at Ichigo, slashing away at him: up and down, left and right, she struck repeatedly at him, wanting to bring the fight to a closure as soon as possible; Ichigo found himself trapped in a constant defensive state, as he could only block but never retaliate. In any other fight, he would most likely get over himself and go on the offensive, but this fight proved to be an exception of possibly deadly proportions.

Their blades eventually came to a struggle, their wielders looking at each other with various emotions visible on their faces: Ichigo was stressed, She was scowling; Ichigo used this temporary stalemate and spoke: "Look, I don't know what it is that you have against me, but there are better ways to deal with it than fighting!"; She scoffed at him: "**You really think I'd let you off that easy? I've said it before, you crushed my pride and you must pay with blood; for hollows, there are only power and pride, nothing else!**"

Not letting Ichigo retort, She kicked him hard in the stomach, then proceeded to use a close-range Shakkahou (again, no incantation), knocking Ichigo several feet away; true, the spell wasn't as potent as it would've been with the proper incantation, but it still hurt like hell and Ichigo's burned torso was proof of that.

Once more She assumed her stance, waiting for Ichigo to form that of his own; looking at Her, Ichigo saw something that made his eyes widen temporarily, then he stuck Zangetsu in the ground, letting his hands fall at his sides. She raised an eyebrow at his actions, inquiring: "**What's this? You can't be giving up already, you've hardly used any reiatsu. Or is it that you're a coward?**"; Ichigo looked at Her, his gaze filled with determination and answered: "I get it now. I get _you_ now. There's no point in us fighting anymore: you're not my enemy, and what you're after can't be obtained by fighting and killing me."

Maintaining her stance, She asked: "**Just what is it that you think you've learned about me? Even if you did learn something, what makes you think it would convince me not to kill you where you stand?**"; Ichigo's face now showed sadness as he answered: "That look on your face - I'm quite familiar with it: I've seen it in the mirror many times before, when I was thinking about why was it that people made me an outcast and judged me solely based on my appearance. It was the look I had on my face when I was feeling alone and desperate - hell, even suicidal at times. Fighting me won't make your sadness go away - I may be dense at times, but I know what it feels like to be alone."

She narrowed her eyes at him in anger: how **dare** he think they were alike?! What would he possibly know of being alone, of looking at a mirror only to see the reflection of a monster without purpose or meaning staring back?! She had had enough with him, and she was going to make sure he would never speak again; her voice was filled with malice: "**You do not know me. You have no idea who I am or what I'm capable of; letting go of your blade just because you think we're alike was a mistake... one which will cost you your life!**"

She charged at him with the intent to kill, but he did not move a muscle. Funny thing was, she was hoping for him to at least try to run away, but he simply maintained a calm expression and stood perfectly still, even as She was drawing closer and closer to him. By the time She was already thinking of stopping herself if only to question his behaviour, She realized that she had already stabbed him through the chest and he was losing blood rapidly; Ichigo winced in pain, but he did not move - that is, until the blood loss got to him and he fainted, the last thing he saw being her face which was filled with shock, horror and possibly concern.

* * *

Having eventually regained consciousness, Ichigo slowly rose to a sitting position, seeing that he was now on the edge of the lake and that his wound had been healed; near him She sat, looking quietly at the lake with a neutral expression on her face. The two of them said nothing for several minutes, only for Her to break the silence, not averting her gaze from the lake: "**I don't get you. I told you that I hate you, that I'm willing to kill you without giving it a second thought, yet you did not fight. You are alive right now because I want to understand your behaviour, nothing else.**"

Ichigo looked at Her with a solemn expression on his face - in spite of her reasoning, Ichigo had hoped that there was something else to Her, something that he could hopefully use in order to make peace with Her, or at the very least subdue Her until a proper solution to the situation was found.

"So what's going to happen next? You said that you want to understand me, but just how are you planning to do that?"; "**Simple: you are going to show me how humans behave and live, every aspect of it; if I were to understand you humans better, perhaps I could decide my course of action.**"

Ichigo crossed his hands and asked: "You know, I can't just keep calling you 'You' or 'Hollow', so... what's your name?"; "**I have no name, as I am a part of Kuchiki Rukia's soul; for the time being, however...**" - She looked at Ichigo and allowed herself a grin - "**... call me Queen.**"


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

* * *

The week following their fight went by fairly quickly: Ichigo had taught the Queen - who would take control over Rukia's soul more and more often - about just how humans behaved and such and she would listen, but almost always say nothing. She had used Rukia's gigai, which replaced her black & gold eyes with Rukia's, in order to not arouse any suspicion - Kami forbid if she ran into someone stronger and smarter than Ishida.

To Ichigo, it felt like a deja vu: he recalled the first few weeks of Rukia's stay in the human world, when he had tutored her about how she should behave in order to fit in; unlike Rukia, however, the Queen had little to no interest in what humans _did_, but rather how they behaved - if she were to understand them, then perhaps she would be able to understand Ichigo, and - possibly - herself.

One of the more awkward experiences of the two, was when Ichigo introduced her to Rukia's subject of obsession, Chappy; the Queen raised an eyebrow at the oddly shaped figure and asked: "**So, Rukia's obsessed with a bunny-shaped figure and thinks it's incredibly cute?**"; Ichigo sighed: "Much to my annoyance, yes - that is exactly what she thinks of Chappy. What do you think about it?"; the Queen grinned evilly: "**That depends, does it taste good? By the looks of it, the meat is probably soft and sweet, just waiting to be chewed...**"; Ichigo sweat-dropped as the Queen began drooling over her fantasizing about the delicacy that is Chappy meat.

Another experience Ichigo would gladly forget was the time when she had stumbled upon his well-hidden collection of T and M rated mangas; needless to say, the moment Ichigo had spotted her with one of his more... _inappropriate _mangas, he turned strawberry (pun intended) red. The Queen, unlike what he had imagined, did not tease him or call him a pervert - she was, in fact, curious as to how altering one's appearance could attract the opposite sex. She also questioned him about the term "tentacle rape", making Ichigo blush even harder as he tried explaining to her that he was keeping all of these mangas in order to better understand how to _entertain_ females. Fortunately for him, the Queen - who was oddly enough quite innocent - fell for his lie, but asked: "**Are the girls in those mangas your type? I mean, does a female need to have a voluptuous figure in order to have intercourse with a male?**" Ichigo barely managed to hold back the massive nose-bleed he felt coming as he answered:"N-no, that's just what _some_ people like, it has nothing to do with se -- I mean, intercourse. Are you satisfied now ?"; "**Just one more thing: what is a Lolicon?**"; Ichigo dragged her out of the room before she could ask him any more disturbing questions.

A more pleasant time with her was when Ichigo had brought her to school and explained the idea of studying and gaining experience and knowledge in various subjects; the Queen was quite intrigued by this as she asked: "**So, in other words, this institution is meant to prepare adolescents for the future by providing them with general knowledge as to how the world 'works', yes?**"; "Yeah, that's right. If I'm not mistaken, Hueco Mundo doesn't have anything like a school - that is, unless Aizen somehow managed to get the arrancar and espada to study..."; a picture of Yammi failing math popped into his mind, causing him to chuckle.

Following school, Ichigo and the Queen - to her request - went to the nearby graveyard. It was cloudy and quiet there, with no living soul in the distance; Ichigo felt uneasy as he saw all the graves as he knew he was approaching the one grave that just looking at made his heart hurt; the Queen, however, merely examined her surroundings, not noticing Ichigo's troubled look. To Ichigo's dismay, one grave caught the Queen's eye as she asked: "**Kurosaki Masaki... Ichigo, are you related to this person by any chance?**"; Ichigo's voice became low as he answered: "Yeah... Kurosaki Masaki was my mother. She was killed six years ago by a hollow called Grand Fisher: the bastard lured me to the edge of the lake by showing me a girl who was about to commit suicide - my mom knew better, however, as she jumped in front of me and got hit by him. Even now, just thinking about that hollow scum makes my blood boil."

The Queen thought about it for a few seconds, then scoffed and crossed her hands: "**Ridiculous. It doesn't matter how she died or when she died, the only thing that should matter is that she's gone and she's not coming back.**"; Ichigo's face showed outrage: "What the hell...?!"; "**Don't you get it? People die every day, everywhere; there's no point in mourning those who can no longer breathe - they are dead and all that is left of them are memories, nothing else. The very act of mourning itself is nothing short of time-consuming and pathetic: why cry for those who can no longer cry for themselves? There's simply no point in focusing on the past rather than on the future. Face it, Ichigo: it doesn't matter who dies, how they die or when they die - only the ones who live, matter.**"

Ichigo clenched his fists in anger: how could she make such statements? Do hollows truly know not sorrow, loss of beloved ones? Even if they did, what could possibly give her the right to so openly mock his emotions and belittle them?!

"How the hell can you say all this shit?! Don't you care about the world that surrounds you? Can't you feel the pain that others feel whenever the people in their hearts feel it as well? Are you that heartless of a being?!"; the Queen had become enraged, her voice surpassing that of Ichigo: "**Why are you so surprised? You should have realized by now that I have no sympathy, no mercy; like I told you, my curiosity is the only reason for you to be standing here right now. As for the so-called 'pain' of others, I don't give a rat's ass about that crap - people have been dying since the dawn of time itself, and they will continue to die regardless of what we do and how we choose to live. Tell me, then, what point is there in mourning someone when your fate will surely be the same? What point is there in cherishing life, Ichigo?!**"

"Don't you get it?! The meaning of life is that it's _supposed_ to end one day, so it's up to all of us who are still alive, to make the very best of every day, to make sure that - in the end - our existence, our life, would have actually made a difference! Is **this** what you would call pointless?! Is it?!"; the Queen stared in shock at the enraged Ichigo, who was practically on the verge of tears due to his emotional outburst - for one who was so sealed off from the world, one who would - at times - be incredibly dense, to act so passionate concerning the lives of everyone, was quite a shock for the Queen, who only saw life as a pursuit for strength and recognition.

Ichigo was on knees and his face was lowered - his heart was in deep pain, and the rain that had begun falling both in and out of his body, perfectly represented that pain; she didn't know why, but the sight of the emotionally distraught Ichigo caused her to feel a painful sensation in her chest - it was the first time in her existence that she had felt something like this, and she did not like it - not one bit.

She found herself walking slowly to Ichigo, somehow feeling what the right thing for her to do was; crouching, she did something that left both her and Ichigo in shock: she had hugged him. Silently, in the rain, the boy and the girl sat, hugging each other, the differences between them and their worlds being set aside - for the time being, they wanted nothing more than to remain in each others' arms - silently, yet comfortingly...


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

* * *

In the day after their graveyard incident, Ichigo and the Queen barely exchanged any words, with Ichigo doing all the talking - as little as there was of it - by explaining more aspects of the human mind and lifestyle to her. The two of them were in deep thought for their own reasons: for Ichigo, it was wondering how the Queen could be so heartless at one moment, and then show him affection - perhaps she had a bipolar depression syndrome, or maybe it was that it was 'that time of the month' for her... Actually, scratch that last thought, it's gross. In any case, Ichigo couldn't make sense of this girl that came crashing into his life in a violent manner and he was becoming frustrated by it; as for the Queen, she was vehemently trying to excuse her 'nice' behaviour towards Ichigo in a number of ways: it was Rukia's fault; the weather made a mess of her mind; being in a graveyard might have triggered something within the body of her host - honestly, she thought her own excuses were pretty pathetic, what with the 1st and 3rd one basically being the same thing.

The Queen's condition was actually worse than Ichigo's: while humans were accustomed to mood swings and sometimes performing inexplicable actions, she had thought herself above that; yes, she was an instinctual being, but she wasn't human so it's fair game. Nevertheless, not being able to define herself, not knowing who she was had proved to be a torturous experience, so much so as a matter of fact, that she would sometimes find an empty street or alley and scream her frustrations. No more did she wish to kill Ichigo, or any other humans for that matter: all she wanted to do was finding out just what the hell she was. That was all that mattered to her.

Ichigo took the initiative in trying to make amends with her, but she had all but sealed herself off from him: she would only answer questions concerning the nature of hollows and questions about her own personality; if it came anywhere near her relationship with him, she would say nothing and simply carry on with whatever she was doing. An ice queen to the core, she was.

Her lowest point was when she returned to Ichigo's home at a Friday night and entered the bathroom in order to wash her (Rukia's) face; the moment she laid her eyes on the mirror, she was filled with disgust, self-hatred and loathing: she was losing her edge, her emotionless exterior and had allowed herself occupy her mind with this, this _boy_ who she should not even care for. Any sense of who or what she should have been was now lost to her, seeing as how the human she had sought to torture and break, had somehow managed to trigger **emotions**within her; that was the last straw - hollows were heartless for a reason, it removed their most fatal weakness. Seeing as she couldn't stop thinking about Ichigo, however, made her doubt the fact that she was a hollow, and if she wasn't a hollow... then what else could she possibly be ?

Burning with rage, the Queen shattered the mirror as well as tore Ichigo's room apart and blasted out of the house, desperate to rid herself of the burden known as a 'heart'. Ichigo, who arrived about five minutes after her breakdown, quickly gave chase after he witnessed the mess she had made out of the bathroom and his room - he wasn't angry, no, he was concerned for her: if she was so upset that she would take her anger out on lifeless objects, then there was no telling what she would do if she were to come upon spiritually-aware beings, be they humans, shinigami or hollows.

Fortunately, the Queen settled for aimlessly using Ceroes high above Karakura town; easily noticing this, Ichigo made haste and arrived at the source of this display, where the Queen grimaced as she spotted him. Walking slowly on the air, Ichigo slowly said: "It's ok, Queen, I'm not gonna fight you; I just want you to tell me what's wrong, so that we could hopefully work things out, alright?"; this display of professionalism would be a shock if it wasn't for the fact that many of the patients that him and his father had taken care of, were mostly aware of their injuries and would scream at the pain and helplessness they would feel.

The Queen let out an empty laugh: "**You wanna know what's wrong? You mean you really don't know what could possibly be wrong with me right now, Ichigo?**" - her body shook as she answered - "**I have no idea... I don't know who or what I am, anymore; I'm supposed to feast on souls and take pleasure in fighting strong opponents, yet the only thing I can think of is you. This wasn't supposed to happen, none of it: I'm supposed to be a cold-hearted bitch, not a spineless fan-girl, dammit! Do you what it's like to have your very essence taken away from you? Do you?!**"

What the Queen did next took Ichigo by surprise: she had pulled out Sode no Shirayuki and placed it near her (again, Rukia's) neck; looking at him remorsefully, she said: "**There's no place in this world or any other world for a being like me; it would be for the best if I just wiped myself out of existence and be done with this shit**!"; it was Ichigo's turn to surprise as he chuckled at her behaviour and began approaching her. She would have none if that as she yelled: **"Stay back! I'm gonna end myself and you're not gonna stop me!**" - Ichigo kept on coming closer - **"What the fuck is wrong with you?! I said I'm going to commit suicide, you moron, don't you understand?!**"

Ichigo eventually stood face-to-face with the Queen and he softly held her sword hand; she all but shrieked: "**Get the fuck away from me, you son of a bitch! Why, Ichigo?! Why the fuck won't you let me fucking off myself already?! What the fuck do you want from me?!**"; wiping away the tears that began sliding down the Queen's face, Ichigo hugged her tight and softly said: "You've quite a filthy mouth for a queen, you know that?"; "**You...?!**"; "I know that it hurts, Queen. All of your thoughts, your expectations of yourself as who you were supposed to be - it's hellishly painful to try and determine our identity; thing is, you don't have to do it alone, not anymore. Seeing you like this, even though I'm smiling, is tearing me apart from within: in the end, you're just a lonely, hurt person like me, trying to make sense of this damned world and its rules. But you know what? I learned something: the best way to not feel alone is to make sure that someone else feels it, too. I don't care if you're a hollow; I don't care if you're a part of someone; all I want is to see you happy... because I care for you."

Looking at the Queen in the eyes, Ichigo allowed the years of loneliness and his sadness to take over him and he kissed her with all the love he could muster; she was shocked, yes, but the Queen soon gave into the kiss, returning it with all the emotion she had.

_Under the shining moon, a new bond is made - will it persevere... ?  
_


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

Warning: the following episode contains sexual content that should not be viewed by anyone under the age of 18. View at your own risk.

* * *

If it was possible, the Queen felt as if her 'heart' would burst out of her chest at any moment: she had found someone who had accepted her unconditionally, and - although she deemed it impossible - she was actually happy with this, key word being 'happy', an **emotion**. In fact, she felt so content that she would allow Rukia more control over the body, mostly taking over at night to gaze at the sleeping Ichigo and mess around with him a bit - he didn't realize it, but it was because of her that he would wake up with a wet spot on his trousers.

Fascinated by this 'relationship' thing, the Queen decided to make it her dury to please Ichigo and strengthen her bond with him; she had done so at first by going through his mangas and learning what it was that turned males on - sure, Ichigo was much more honest and tamed than other males, but he was still a _male_, and the thought of him drooling all over her, had actually made her feel quite hot and short-breathed.

Ichigo, however, was troubled: he realized that, sooner or later, his girlfriend (if she would allow him to call her as such) would eventually ask him to take their relationship to the next level, and it was all too clear to Ichigo what his instinctual companion would be after: his virginity! Don't get the wrong idea, Ichigo wasn't that terrified of sex, it's just that he dreaded the thought of doing it with Rukia's body: in his opinion, it would be taking advantage of her, and Ichigo was above that by far. If only he could solve this problem...

Having gone through Ichigo's manga collection, the Queen used one of the graphs of human anatomy that Ichigo had in the house (remember, he lives in a clinic) in order to find the sensitive spots of the body, hoping she could 'motivate' Ichigo into having intercourse by pushing the right buttons; mind you, she also intended to apply this to herself - she didn't want to have all the fun by herself, after all.

The Queen's sexual hunger eventually led up to several embarrassing incidents in school involving Ichigo and Rukia, such as her moving Rukia's hand to grab and squeeze Ichigo's butt, moving her legs to trip any girls who would try and converse with Ichigo and even ask for her and Ichigo to be dismissed only to 'kidnap' Ichigo and force him to partake in make-out sessions with her; again, Ichigo was heavily conflicted about the whole idea of kissing _Rukia_ in the lips, but that just made the Queen that much more lustful.

Her body demanding pleasure, the Queen entered Ichigo's room through the window one night and focused her reiatsu on him, forcing him into Rukia's inner world...

***Lemon starts here***

Finding himself once more in the beautiful, snowy field that was Rukia's inner world, Ichigo was about to start wandering in order to find either the Queen, Rukia or Sode no Shirayuki, but was surprised to find the Queen walking slowly towards him, an evil and lust-filled grin on her face. Ichigo was about to ask her what was going on, but he could only gape when she began taking her clothes off, still walking towards him. She eventually arrived at his sitting form, her beautiful, naked bleach-white figure standing in front of Ichigo in all its glory; seeing as how Ichigo wouldn't say or do anything, the Queen chuckled and took the initiative, whispering in his ear: "**I know you've been troubled, Ichigo: you think it would be wrong for you to take advantage of her body like this, with her aware of none of this; so I've come up with a solution that will make us both happy - after all, you wouldn't mind pleasing me, wouldn't you?**" - Ichigo was still gaping - "**Hmmhmm, I'll take that as a 'yes'. Now, just relax and let me do my stuff...**"

The Queen began kissing Ichigo slowly yet thoroughly, her tongue exploring every inch of Ichigo's mouth; Ichigo eventually came out of his shock and returned the kiss, leading her to begin caressing his body from top to bottom (no, not _that_low... yet). She broke the kiss and grabbed Ichigo's right hand - before he could protest, she had placed it on her breasts, signaling Ichigo to make his move; Ichigo squeezed her breasts, causing her to moan and close her eyes in pleasure.

Once she had her fill, she led his hand away from her breast and down to her womanhood; instinctively, Ichigo began drawing circles around it, teasing the Queen - she didn't object, however, as it only served to increase her pleasure and anticipation. The Queen proceeded to softly bite Ichigo's ear, licking his earlobe and then planting his head between her breasts so that he could (and he did) kiss them and squeeze them some more.

She was ready to get things going, so she pushed Ichigo to the snowy ground and undressed him, with him too busy planting kisses all over her body to care; getting him to be naked as well, the Queen prepared herself for the ride, but stopped when she saw the concern in Ichigo eyes as he asked: "I gotta warn you, Queen, this is seriously going to hurt you and once I start, I don't think I'll be able to hold myself back; are you sure that this is what you want?"; the Queen kissed him passionately in reply and huskily said: "**I'm glad to see that you care for me, but I'd love it if you quit being such a prude and just fuck me already, Ichigo.**"

Kissing one more time, the two lovers prepared themselves for their first time; the Queen eventually pinned herself to Ichigo, letting him enter her body: Ichigo grit his teeth in an attempt to cover the pain and pleasure that were overcoming him, but the Queen was far less subtle than him - she gasped and moaned loudly in pleasure, her eyes wide and anticipating. She began thrusting into him faster and faster, laughing while she did it; while the vast majority of female first-timers would be shocked from the pain and intensity, the Queen felt ecstatic and even more importantly, she felt **alive** at the pain that was coursing through her - she couldn't stop, she didn't _want_ to stop, this was simply the most wonderful sensation she had ever felt.

"Q-Queen, I *moan* I don't think I'll *moan* be able to hold myself back, I'm about to --!"; Ichigo didn't get to finish that sentence as both he and the Queen screamed in pleasure as they climaxed simultaneously, their juices spilling on each other. They said nothing to one another, but that was only they were too tired and pleased to talk; instead, they smiled at each other and embraced one another, falling asleep under the snow that was covering them, forming a blanket over the sleeping lovers / mates.

_Two bodies become one in the ever-lasting snow, but all is not well..._


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

Warning: this chapter contains spoilers for the manga/anime Elfen Lied; yes, you read correctly, I'm using another franchise in this chapter, but it's only in order to emphasize my point, so don't hate.

* * *

Things were looking good for the new couple: having validated their bond as mates, Ichigo and the Queen both began acting in a far more free-minded fashion, they smiled considerably more often and Ichigo would actually listen to Keigo's rants rather than wave him off or knock him out! As for the Queen, she was busy running around in Rukia's inner world, playing with the snow and laughing in happiness - it wasn't everyday that you found a purpose and a lover combined. She even went as far as touch herself while closing her eyes, imagining Ichigo doing all of that to her; needless to say, she was in total bliss.

Taking control one night, the Queen - who had already played with Ichigo's sleeping body - went through Rukia's anime DVD collection, seeing as she had nothing better to do at the time; one franchise caught her attention: it was rated M and contained gore, nudity and profanity - it was called Elfen Lied.

Having seen the first episode, the Queen became intrigued and went through the entire series in that same night; what she saw shocked her: it was hard to believe that humans were capable of such cruel behaviour towards someone who was different than them (even if it was just manga) and she realized that she and the main character of the series, the Diclonius queen Lucy, were a lot alike - instinctual, aggressive, often cold and they both saw only the evil side of humanity, resulting in them only trusting one human, who turned out to be their love interests.

The Queen was heavily concerned, seeing as how Lucy had ended most likely ended up dead, not to mention that she dismembered a fellow Diclonius and slaughtered countless humans, amongst them were her love interest's father and sister, both murdered in front of him. The Queen knew that the odds of something of this caliber happening to her were low, seeing as how this was simply anime and not reality (oh, the irony :P), but she realized that she would have to keep a low profile at all times, meaning that even if for a moment her instincts would get the best of her, she would have to 'hide her footprints' in the uttermost efficient way possible.

In spite of her realizations, the Queen was bothered the following day: looking at all the people from Rukia's mind (she preffered not to take control for the time being) reminded her of the gruesome sights she saw and the emotionless behaviour that the people had shown; sure, humans were nothing compared to her in terms of power, but if it were _shinigami_ to come after her, she would most likely lose at one point or another, seeing as how her powers weren't as strong as the strongest captains of the Seireitei, especially the head-captain. She laughed bitterly as she thought of how the shinigami would constantly call hollows 'monsters', while they would be the ones to commit cruel experiments and make heartless decisions such as Rukia's execution; hollows consumed souls, yes, but they rarely did so while toying with their food, they did it so that they would survive - in that case, who the _real_ monsters would be was too easy of a question to answer, although she knew Ichigo would never do something like that to her: he was understanding and open-minded, unlike the archaic system of judgement that the Soul Society was based on.

_**Would I end up like her? Am I fated to be alone, hated by everyone else? And what will Ichigo do? All these questions... what a pain. **_

Ichigo had noticed the changes in the Queen's behaviour: she was far less playful than usual, she would rarely talk and she barely even took over Rukia's body anymore. It had hurt him, seeing her like this; they were together, for better and for worse, so there was no way he'd let his Queen carry whatever burden she was carrying, by herself. In his room, Ichigo eventually inquired the Queen about her recent behaviour; she only said "Elfen Lied", but Ichigo - being familiar with the franchise - was able to connect the pieces and understand her issues.

Her face showed sadness as she asked: "**What do you think of me? Taking over Rukia's body like this and taking advantage of you... I never lost that desire to kill or feast, either; am I really just another hollow? A monster?**"; Ichigo narrowed his eyes, but his voice wasn't hostile, but determined: "Don't say things like that about yourself. As much as I hate myself for not letting Rukia know about this, I don't regret the time we'd spent together; you think you've been taking advantage of me, but I _want_ to be with you - it's a choice I made of my own volition. You've been open with me and comforted me when I needed someone to confide in; no one would listen, because no one would understand. But you do. I could never call someone like that a monster; you got that?"; the Queen smiled a little: "**Che. I forgot that I was talking to the soft-hearted strawberry. Besides, who cares what I saw? It was fiction, unreal; this, us, right here and now is what's real and I'll be damned if I let go of that. So thank you for reminding me that, Ichigo.**"; Ichigo chuckled and kissed the Queen on the forehead, saying: "Just remember: no matter where you are, there's always one person who would accept you unconditionally and he would do anything for you... because he loves you."

Later that day, Ichigo walked about in Karakura park, thinking of his talk with the Queen; he happened to meet Inoue along the way, and she immediately figured that he was troubled by something, so she stood near him and tried comforting him. Ichigo told her not to worry and that everything was fine - she knew it was a lie, but she simply told him to take care of himself and hugged him in a friendly manner... that is, in the eyes of anyone _else_ watching the scene.

Arriving at her home, Inoue - who had just finished dinner and prepared to hit the bed - was surprised to see Rukia, out of everyone she could think of and at that time of day; she was about to greet her, but something about her eyes bothered her: she was glaring daggers at her, with her... black & gold eyes ?

_The Queen has come to deal her punishment - run, Inoue... !!_


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

Warning: the following episode contains violent content and language that should not be viewed by anyone under the age of 18. View at your own risk.

* * *

"K-Kuhciki san... ?"; Inoue was downright terrified at the sight of 'Rukia' slowly walking towards her, a murderous glint in her eyes. 'Rukia', having come face-to-face with Inoue, caught her in a choke-hold and slammed her against the wall several times; Inoue was shocked out of her mind, so she was unable to respond, allowing the violent act to proceed.

Inoue was then kicked in the stomach, back-slapped, had her head meet 'Rukia' ('s) knee and her hair grabbed; "Who are you...? What did you do with Kuchiki-san?"; the answer she got was in a low and intimidating voice: "**Rukia's asleep right now, so I'm covering for her. As for who I am, you can call me Queen - not that it's going to make a difference, anyways.**"

Inoue thought of using her Santen Keshuun, but was concerned for Rukia; left without a choice, she attempted to solve things in a peaceful manner, asking: "Would you mind telling me what it is that you want from me? I could help and --"; she didn't get to finish that sentence as the Queen began chocking her, hissing: "**The only thing I want you to do is _scream_, bitch. You think you can just go and take away what's mine? You think you're so special, so meaningful to Him? You're just a slut and I'm going to treat you in the approprite manner, Hime.**"

Inoue knew that she had to use Santen Keshuun in order to avoid whatever cruel fate was awaiting her, but she only managed to barely say: "Please... I... Don't..."; the Queen grinned evilly: "**How pathetic. Humans really are as weak as I thought, after all; then again, it may just be you who's lacking the power and resolve to stand up to me. Either way...**" - she sadistically whispered the next part - "**... you're in for a whole night of pain, Hime.**"

The Queen then proceeded to scratch her head in mock-thought, asking: "**I wonder, just what is it about you that males find so attractive, huh? You are just a slut, after all, so why should anyone give a damn about you? Well, I'm not gonna waste any more time: whatever it is that makes you 'attractive', I'll just cut off, starting with those chunks of flesh that you call 'breasts'.**"; before Inoue had a chance to respond, the Queen had already swung Shirayuki and sliced off her breasts, resulting in two chunks of flesh landing on the floor and the place where her breasts used to be, heavily bleeding.

It turned out that the Queen also wished to mentally scar Inoue, as she grabbed one of the now cut breasts and began eating it; Inoue had all but vomited over the display, much to the amusement of the Queen, who said: "**Just as I thought, it's nothing but flesh - barely any milk at all. That, and they aren't even that pleasant for the touch; I guess size doesn't matter after all.**"

Inoue began tearing up, the full impact of the abuse hitting her hard; the Queen, who grinned at the sight, said: "**Aww, did I hurt lil' Hime-chan? Don't worry, I'll let you heal yourself, ok?**"; Inoue almost fell for the trick, but said: "N-no, I won't do it - you'll only hurt me more if that happens, won't you? Otherwise, you would run out of 'fun' too fast."; the Queen mockingly patted her head, saying: "**What a clever little slut you are, Hime, you figured it out. I'm afraid you don't have a choice, though, since if you don't heal yourself then I'll be going after something you're not going to be able to restore: your virginty.**"

Crying, Inoue barely managed to say: "S-Santen Keshuun, I reject."; her breasts were restored, allowing the Queen to proceed to the next stage of the torture. Looking at Inoue, the Queen said: "**Let's see, what should I go for next? Oh, it's so hard to choose... wait, I know: how about I give you a nice haircut, Hime? Would you like that?**"; Inoue closed her eyes in pain as the Queen grabbed her hair and brought Shirayuki close to her hair, saying: "**Try not to move, Hime, or else I might just cut a vein. Remember, if you behave, I won't have to turn you into a real slut.**"

The Queen laughed maniacally as she randomly cut pieces of Inoue's hair, more than often 'accidentally' cutting her head, too. Satisfied with her work, the Queen dragged Inoue to a nearby mirror and showed her the results: Inoue cried harder at the sight of her bloody head, the hair cut in a fashion so miserable that calling it 'a crime against fashion' would be an understatement.

"**Heal yourself again, Hime, we're not quite done yet.**"; Inoue did as she was told, her whole body shaking in fear and pain. Bringing Shirayuki near Inoue's face, the Queen said: "**For the next part, I'll be taking out those annoying eyes of yours; it'll hurt like a bitch, so don't hold back your screams if you can't take it. You ready?**"; it was a good thing that the Queen had placed a sound-barrier spell aroud the house, because the screams that Inoue let out would freeze the blood of even the most battle-hungry shinigami.

Inoue couldn't cry anymore, because she had run out of tears, pleasing the Queen who was playing with the removed pair of eyes (Inoue healed her eyes, so it's okay); she approached Inoue and began caressing her, smiling: "**There, there, Hime-chan, don't worry, it's almost over. Just one more game and you're off the hook for the night, ok? Now...**"; the Queen began lifting Inoue's skirt, bringing Shirayuki dangerously close to her womanhood. Inoue freaked out: "No, please don't, you said you'd only do that if I didn't behave!!"; the Queen came closer to Inoue, whispering in her ear: "**I lied.**"

At that night, Inoue's house had been all but silent.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

* * *

A week after the incident at Inoue's house, she was still absent from school, much to the concern of her friends - particularly Ishida and Ichigo. It came as a surprise to them as Rukia was the one who volunteered to go check up on her, seeing as how she and Inoue weren't the closest of friends, perhaps merely acquainted; nevertheless, Rukia had gone to Inoue's house following school, knocking on her door upon arrival.

Not receiving an answer, she attempted calling Inoue on her cellphone, but again - no answer. What bothered Rukia about the situation, however, was the fact that the house was eerily silent, as if there was no one inside; Rukia knew better than that, though, so she approached the door and prepared to kick it down, only to realize that it was unlocked, allowing her to enter.

The first thing she saw upon entering was Inoue, on the ground in a fetal position; naturally concerned for her friend, Rukia slowly approached her, asking: "Are you all right, Inoue?"; upon seeing who it was who was talking to her, Inoue's eyes widened in fear and she hastily backed away from her. Rukia had become much more concerned at this, so she tried calming Inoue down by walking in an even slower pace - that did no good, however, as Inoue was so frightened at the sight of Rukia that she had soiled herself with horror.

Inoue couldn't understand any of the things Rukia had said: the only thing she could think of was the monster who had tortured her and robbed her of her virginity a week ago. Screaming, Inoue fled into the kitchen, with Rukia calling out for her in hopes that she will calm down. Rukia gasped as she saw Inoue leaving the kitchen with a huge butcher knife in her hands, her eyes filled with utter fear and madness. "Inoue, please put down that knife, you could hurt yourself."; Inoue had all but shrieked as she rushed at Rukia, trying to stab her dead.

Maintaining some of her instincts as a shinigami, Rukia managed to dodge the mentally unstable Inoue, eventually grabbing her by the wrist and pleading her to calm down. Inoue dropped the knife, suddenly hugging Rukia and sobbing as her body shook violently; Rukia had to hold herself back quite hard in order not to cry at the sight of her poor friend.

What the hell happened... ?

* * *

Rukia, having told Ichigo and the others of Inoue's condition, brought her to Urahara's shop in order to somehow figure out what happened and relieve her stress.

Everyone was sitting quietly in the main room, concerned for their friend; after about an hour of waiting, Urahara came out of his room with a serious expression on his face, his voice being the same: "There were no wounds inflicted on Inoue's body, external or internal. What I'm concerned of, however, is her mental condition: it had taken me approximately half an hour just to get her to talk, and even then she barely managed to form words - not to mention sentences - without chocking on her tears. Whatever it is that has happened to her, it has definitely scarred her for life; I fear that in her current condition, even leaving her house is not recommended."

Ichigo held back his anger as he asked: "Urahara, do you know who or what might have done that to Inoue?"; Urahara sighed, knowing that his answer would only serve to frustrate Ichigo - however, he deemed it best for him to know the truth: "I'm sorry, Ichigo, but there's not even a clue to who could have done this. Were it a hollow, she would have positively been eaten, but she's here with us now, so that's not a reasonable option."

Ishida scowled, himself also holding back his anger: "It might have been a delinquent shinigami; seeing as how there is the 11th division, I wouldn't be surprised if one of them allowed themselves to 'have fun' at the cost of Inoue's sanity."; Ichigo and Rukia glared daggers at the Quincy: even if he did hate the shinigami as he said he did, such accusations were far below his level. Ichigo clenched his fists as he tried to hold himself back from punching that asshole square in the face, proceeding by threatening him with Zangetsu. It was a good thing Ichigo could keep his temper under control at times like this, or else the Quincies would be no more.

Rukia spoke: "I think I'm up to something: upon seeing me, Inoue was fearful to an extreme degree, so extreme that she attempted stabbing me in order to possibly defend herself; when she was inquired by Urahara, however, she exhibited no such aggression. I know it may sound far-fetched, but I think that Inoue's current condition might have something to do with... me."; Ichigo and Ishida both immediately realized what was going on, and they each reacted in a way that startled Chad and Urahara: Ishida generated his bow and aimed it at Rukia's face, while Ichigo unsheathed Zangetsu and positioned it against Ishida's neck, so close that even the slightest press would draw blood from the Quincy.

Chad instinctively got up in order to break up the potentially disastrous fight that would most likely commence, but he was held back by Urahara who realized that something was going on that he was unaware of, something that it was for the best that Ichigo and Ishida handled themselves.

Ishida glared fiercely at Ichigo, barely holding his composure as he said: "I had warned you about this, Kurosaki: I told you it was bound to happen, but you so very ignorantly decided not to heed my warnings and instead followed your own flawed logic; because of you, Inoue's mind is in shambles and will most likely never be herself again. Can you even begin to realize the grave significance of your actions, Kurosaki?"; Ichigo returned the glare, saying: "I recall telling you before to leave things to me, yes, and that applies even now; if what Rukia said is true, then it's my responsibility to handle the situation. I know that you're infuriated, Ishida, and I know that telling you again to trust me would piss you off even more; so I'm not asking you, I'm _begging_ you to let me handle this one alone. I'm the only one who can do this, and you know it."

Ishida, after a minute or so of deep thought, lowered his bow but continued to glare at Ichigo, hissing: "This is your last chance, Kurosaki: I may not be as powerful as you are, but if you mess up this one then so help me Kami, I will make your life a living hell; remember, _Ichigo_: there's more than one way to kill a man."

* * *

Back at Ichigo's room at night, said teen - who was infuriated at the Queen's behaviour - was trying to make sense of it all: why would she attack Inoue, of all people? What could possibly justify mentally scarring a person, an innocent and harmless one, at that?

Ichigo's thoughts were interrupted as he noticed a pair of hands caressing his chest; his expression darkened as he knew who the person without even having to look. Speaking in a seductive voice, the figure confirmed Ichigo's suspicions: "**Hey there, handsome. You ready to try out some of the positions I read about in the Kama Sutra?**"; barely managing to hide his disgust with her, Ichigo removed her hands and faced her, narrowing his eyes at her and asking with a dangerously low voice: "Why did you do that, Queen?"; she tried acting innocent, saying: "**Do what? If I recall, it's Rukia who has been in control all day.**"

Taking her by surprise, Ichigo slammed her against the wall, apparently not too concerned about any harm caused to Rukia's body; snarling, he said: "Don't give me that shit! Do you have any idea what you've done to Inoue?! You freaking raped her mind beyond repair, you psychotic bitch!!"; the Queen's innocent expression disappeared, replaced with a scowl: "**Che. That slut was moving on my territory - I had to make it clear to her that I am not to mess with; by the look on your face, I could swear you're upset about this.**"

Ichigo had a most intimidating expression on his face as he retorted: "How the fuck could I not care?! Inoue's my friend, damn it - Yammi would've _killed_ me if she didn't stop him!"; "**So what? She made a mistake and she paid the price for it, that's all.**"; Ichigo's expression became a pained one: "How could you do this to me? You knew she was my friend and that I cared for her, yet you still hurt her! Don't you care about what I feel?!"

The Queen pushed Ichigo back, her voice filled with anger and sadness: "**You _dare_ say I don't care about you? You think I would intentionally try to hurt you?! What I did was for us, Ichigo, I was trying to make things right for us; I won't let anyone, be they friends or foes, get in the way of our bond!**"; Ichigo was saddened for a moment, but he then regained his composure: "Even if you do care for me as deeply as you say, hurting people who have done nothing wrong is taking things too far."; "**Nothing wrong?! She was all over you!**"; "She was just worried about me, damn it!" - Ichigo knew what the Queen had meant, but he wasn't too bothered by the fact that she had spied on him.

The Queen approached Ichigo, softly caressing his face: "**You're the center of my world, Ichigo: if you were to be taken away from me, I would have nothing left, nothing to hope for and to hold on to. You, Ichigo, are the most precious and most important thing to me in this damned world.**"; Ichigo closed his eyes in regret, removing the Queen's hands from his face: "This isn't love, Queen, it's obsession: the moment you say you can't live without something or someone, then you clearly need some time away from them."; "**What are you saying...?**"; Ichigo lowered his head: "I'm saying... we need some time apart, Queen. I just can't make any sense of all this shit; between you hurting Inoue, between me the center of your world and me caring for you, I just don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do. Until I _do_ know, I think it would be for the best if we were to be apart for some time."; "**You don't know what you're saying, Ichigo: we need one another, we complete each other! I'm the only one in this world who understands you and will love you unconditionally! You can't leave me, you CAN'T!!**"

As if on cue, Ichigo got a 'hollow alarm', leading him to leave through the window, but not before saying ruefully without turning to face the Queen: "I'm sorry, but this is what needs to be done right now. Please understand me."; Ichigo left, the scream of pure sadness and despair let out by the Queen following him, tormenting him.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

* * *

"I figured it wasn't you."

Rukia could only gasp as she fell, the hole punched in her stomach by Grimmjow, the light-blue haired Sexta Espada, preventing her from doing anything else; Ichigo, in spite of his fight with the Queen prior to Grimmjow's arrival, was terrified at this sight.

It was about five minutes later that the Queen took control, her regenerative abilities kicking in and healing her injury. There was a good reason for her not to have been in control when Grimmjow attacked: her fight with Ichigo had left her depressed in such a degree that the only way she could think of coping with it was retreating into the inner world, hoping to calm herself down and try thinking of a way to deal with Ichigo later on.

She scowled as she felt Ichigo's faltering reiatsu, knowing that Grimmjow was proving himself too much of a challenge for him to handle by himself; although she was hurt, the Queen rushed at the scene in order to save Ichigo from an inevitable defeat.

* * *

"By the looks of it, you can only use that attack two or three more times before you run out of power; face it, kid - you can't beat me."; Ichigo scowled, knowing that Grimmjow had a point there: even if he (Ichigo) had a vast amount of reiatsu, his inner hollow would most definitely take over if he were to use his Getsuga Tenshou either two or three times. From a strategic point of view, Ichigo would have to rely on his inner hollow to fight and win this battle for him, but Ichigo was suspicious of Him and was reluctant to grant him full control over his body, being afraid for any innocent bystanders who might become His prey; that, and the fact that Ichigo was too proud of a warrior to let someone else fight his battles.

This would be the point where Tousen would arrive and take Grimmjow back, but the traitor failed to show up for some reason; because of this, Grimmjow began charging up a Cero that would certainly kill Ichigo upon impact; Ichigo's eyes widened in terror as Grimmjow yelled "Cero!" and fired the attack at him. Being barely able to move, Ichigo could only look in fear as the attack came closer and closer, aching to claim his life.

"**First dance: Tsukikuro.**"; the Cero was caught in a black icy circle, vanishing as asid circle shattered moments later. Ichigo stared in shock at the figure responsible for the attack while Grimmjow scowled: standing near Ichigo with her blade unsheathed, the Queen looked coldly at Grimmjow, oblivious to Ichigo's shock at seeing her.

Before he was able to say anything, the Queen spoke: "**I know you're still mad, and I don't blame you: I hurt your friend, possibly beyond repair; even if the mere sight of me disgusts you, I won't let you die. Whatever problems we have, we'll solve together. Until that time comes, I'll stay by your side and fight alongside you, protecting you should things come to that.**"; "Queen..."; Grimmjow smirked: "Che. Didn't I kill you already, shinigami? And what's with that distorted reiatsu and voice of yours? You some kind of freak or something?"; the Queen leaped into the sky, facing Grimmjow whose smirk turned into a scowl when he saw her eyes; somewhere inside of him, Grimmjow knew those eyes were a bad sign and that he'd do well to kill his mysterious opponent.

"What's with the cold look on your face? You look like you're ready to kill, shinigami."; "**You're not wrong, _Arrancar_.**"; not letting Grimmjow make the first move, the Queen charged at him, Sode no Shirayuki and Pantera clashing. Ichigo watched silently, trying to make sense of the Queen's behaviour: had she not been scolded by him, possibly rejected? Why would she be so willing to defend him with her pride hurt like that?

Looking at their fight, Ichigo was shocked as he realized that the Queen was a far better fighter than him: not only did she match Grimmjow in terms of strength and speed, she had also combined Kido spells with her dances and some physical assaults, effectively cancelling out any sort of advantage Grimmjow had on her. Theoretically speaking, Ichigo slowly digested the fact that even with his Bankai, he would probably only manage to scratch her a couple of times before she would out-speed him and outsmart him, using far more strategy than him; as far as he was concerned, his only strategy was to win the fight at all costs, which is practically no strategy at all.

Their blades clashed as the two fighters were 'taking turns' on going on the offensive; bored, Grimmjow backed away from the Queen and formed a Cero in order to end the fight. Upon firing it, he was surprised to find that the Queen was nowhere to be seen, only to appear behind him moments later with a Cero of her own about to be fired!

Grimmjow, having taken the full brunt of the Cero, had his chest somewhat burnt and he was glaring daggers at the bitch who dared humiliating him in combat; not allowing him to recover, the Queen used Sonido and appeared behind him, stabbing Shirayuki in the air four times - Ichigo knew what this meant and she had confirmed it: "**Second dance: Hakuren.**"

Black ice only managed to coat Grimmjow's sword-less arm, much to his amusement: "That all you got, bitch? You're not even worth the effort!"; much to his shock, even though he had broken the ice, his arm did not move at all. Glaring, he asked: "What the hell did you do?!"; the Queen smirked, saying: "**Oh, didn't I say it? It doesn't matter how much _my_ Hakuren manages to cover: so long as it makes contact with the target, the nerves of the organ that's hit freeze from within; in short, your arm isn't worth _shit_ right now, Grimm-kitty."**; the nerve of her calling him something like _that_ along with the arrogant smirk on her face made Grimmjow lose all control over himself, as he placed his immobilized hand on his sword and all but yelling: "Grind...!"; before Grimmjow could carry out whatever he had in mind, however, his wrist was caught: "What do you think you're doing, Grimmjow?"

"_Tousen...!_"

* * *

"Grimmjow Jagerjaques. The two of you better remember that name, because the next time you hear it will be your last!"; with that being said, the Garganta closed behind him and Tousen, leaving Ichigo and the Queen to deal with one another.

The two stared at each other, waiting in silence for about a minute or so before Ichigo spoke: "I don't get you: I thought you'd be pissed off, or at the very least depressed. Yet, you came to save me and put yourself on the line for my sake. Think you could enlighten me?"; the Queen had a hurt expression on her face: "**Ichigo, I...**"; she was interrupted as she felt someone else's reiatsu near by.

Ichigo had suspected it to be Renji, who had recently finished his fight with one of Grimmjow's companions, but...

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

* * *

I apologize, this chapter ended up being shorter than the previous one, but I guarantee you won't be disappointed next time. Also, please make some time to check out my Bleach musical fic - I know I'm nagging, but it's worth at least taking a look, right ?


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

* * *

The Queen barely managed to dodge Byakuya's shikai, holding Ichigo in her arms; much to her shock, it had turned out that Byakuya was after Ichigo as well. Glaring at the noble, the Queen asked: "**What's the big idea? I get it that you're pissed about your sister, but what the hell does Ichigo have to do with it?**"; Byakuya coldly replied: "It is obvious that Kurosaki has been assisting you in whatever you were doing; for the sake of Soul Society and the honor of the Kuchiki clan, the boy must die. Whatever abomination you are, I give you this warning: leave the body of my sister or suffer the wrath of Senbonzakura."; she smirked at him: "**You've got no idea who you're messing with, Kuchiki: even if you're a captain, the end result will be the same.**"; "I couldn't agree more."

In a flash, the Queen and Byakuya exchanged blows, the Queen eager to spill the blood of the bastard who dared threaten Ichigo while said 'bastard' was determined to remove this demon from Rukia's soul... even if it meant killing her in the process. Proving to be too fast for him to keep up with, Byakuya began using kido spells in order to hit his foe, mostly focusing on Byakurai and Saten Soukatsui; the Queen had no problem avoiding those, but she couldn't attack Byakuya either, seeing as how he would use the many blades of Senbonzakura as a shield - thus, they had arrived at a stalemate.

Coming to a stop, Byakuya said: "Enough of this inanity: you have tarnished the Kuchiki clan with your impurity possessing Rukia's soul; it is now a matter of my very honor to eliminate you at all costs. Bankai..." - the Queen stared wide-eyed, along with Ichigo, at the ruthlessness of Byakuya as he uttered those dreadful words - "... Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."; letting the blade fall to the ground, Byakuya's Bankai materialized and came after the Queen, who - in spite of managing to block some of the blades - was eventually consumed by the many blades, her instant regeneration not kicking in due to the loss of energy after her fight with Grimmjow, resulting in her body being cut quite badly, making her pant as she tried standing on her feet.

Byakuya merely looked at her pitiful form with his cold eyes, approaching her in order to 'liberate' his sister from this torment; before he could come any closer to her, however, Ichigo stood between him and her, panting and glaring at Byakuya: "Byakuya, you bastard! That's your _sister_, for Kami's sake, enough is enough! I don't give a damn about your honor and I sure as hell don't care about the honor of the Kuchiki clan - if you have any decency, any morality in you, then you'll leave her alone, _now_!"; unflinching, Byakuya stared at Ichigo, taking him by surprise as he suddenly grabbed him by the throat, beginning to charge a Byakurai, much to the horror of the Queen: "**Don't you dare do this, Byakuya! I swear, I will cut you to ribbons if you cause him even the slightest amount of pain, you hear me?!**"

Byakuya, rather than finish Ichigo off, settled with throwing him to a nearby building, resulting in Ichigo groaning in pain as his back made contact with it; facing the Queen, whose face had twisted in anger, Byakuya coolly said: "I will deal with the boy later. Even if it doesn't matter, you should know why it is I who arrived here: I knew from the first time that your tainted reiatsu surfaced, that something was amiss and it had something to do with Rukia; after asking permission from the head-captain, I arrived at the world of the living and began watching Rukia in hopes of understanding the situation, and now it seems that Rukia is powerless against the demon possessing her, hence why I had arrived here now. You might as well also know that the spell which I was about to use was merely a bluff, meant to aid me understanding the depth of your alliance; it seems, as absurd as it may be, that you hold some sort of attachment to him. Do not be mistaken, though, hollow scum: you are merely attracted to the boy due to his immense reiatsu and the fact that by being near him, you may hide yourself from the eyes of the Seireitei; other than that, you are simply desperate because you wish to validate your existence, but it is futile: the fate of all hollows is one and the same, and that is to not exist. Prepare yourself, nameless hollow, for I - Kuchiki Byakuya - will be the one to free this world from your impure presence."

_Don't say things like that about yourself. As much as I hate myself for not letting Rukia know about this, I don't regret the time we'd spent together; you think you've been taking advantage of me, but I __want_ to be with you - it's a choice I made of my own volition. You've been open with me and comforted me when I needed someone to confide in; no one would listen, because no one would understand. But you do. I could never call someone like that a monster; you got that?

Recalling Ichigo's comforting words, the Queen winced in pain as she slowly rose to her feet, facing Byakuya and tightening her grip on Shirayuki; looking at Byakuya right in the eyes, she said: "**You would never understand. So long as the Soul Society is filled with the likes of you - arrogant, stubborn, dictatorial individuals who believe they stand at the top - Ichigo and I will never find peace; in that case, there is only one solution: I will destroy anyone and anything that tries taking Ichigo away from me. From this resolve stems my power, and now you shall see me take it to the next level. Prepare, Kuchiki Byakuya...**"

Raising Shirayuki above her head, the Queen began gathering massive amounts of reiatsu, surprisingly enough even managing to slightly push Byakuya back, much to his and Ichigo's shock. The Queen was hoping to avoid doing this since she knew it would attract unwanted attention, but seeing as how she was unfit to fight at the moment and that her foe would show no mercy to either her or her lover, she had no other choice but to say the words...

"**Crunch...** **Lobo Agraciado de la Nieve.**"


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

* * *

"**Crunch...** **Lobo Agraciado de la Nieve.**"

Upon uttering these words, a storm of reiatsu enveloped the Queen, blocking Ichigo's and Byakuya's sight of her; it was about ten seconds after this, that the storm came to an abrupt stop, revealing the Queen's released form, aka resurrecion: she was as tall as Ichigo, her hair had become much longer and had reached her back, she had the tail, ears and paws of a wolf, her entire body - apart from her stomach where her hollow hole had appeared - was covered with beautiful, snow-white fur but her face remained the same, excluding her forehead which head a violet 'X' on it, extending to her eyes.

Byakuya, in spite of his shock, wasted no time in sending his Senbonzakura Kageyoshi after her, but it proved to be futile as the Queen gave a wolf's howl, the reiatsu emitted from it scattering the blades that were about to rip her apart. Though this was no time to be thinking such thoughts, Ichigo couldn't help but marvel at her bestial appearence, her beauty all but enhanced in his eyes - this, and the fact that her released form had breasts the size of Yoruichi's-- crap, he was turning into his old man.

Byakuya kept on coming after the Queen, but her released form proved to be too fast for even his Bankai to keep up with; taking advantage of this, the Queen came closer and closer to Byakuya, eventually managing to catch him by his right side, her claws penetrating Byakuya's flesh. The nobleman merely scowled at this and came after the Queen once more, refusing to be humbled by hollow scum.

The Queen came in for another attack, but was caught off-guard as she was held firmly in place by six rods of light; she scowled, having known that spell by looking into Rukia's memory, and she realized that Byakuya had silently muttered the incantation of the spell, using her assault as cover. Scoffing, the Queen reached for Sode no Shirayuki, which she had not used out of over-confidence, and sliced the rods, breaking the spell; Byakuya wasn't surprised by this, knowing that this hollow was far more powerful than the real Rukia, but he _was_ surprised to see a _black_ Shirayuki in her grasp. The Queen smirked, taunting: "**I must say, it's about time this blade changed colors; you may not have realized it yet, but I detest the color White.**"

At this point, the Queen didn't even bother attacking Byakuya anymore: she would simply taunt him by swiftly and easily dodging his Bankai, showing him the futility of his fighting style; being a captain, however, Byakuya did not rely solely on his blade nor spells, but mastering swordsmanship as well - Byakuya closed the gap between himself and the Queen and began slashing away at her, preventing her from escaping seeing as how her movements were clearly visible to him at close range.

Ichigo could only gape as the two fought at speeds that his eyes had a hard time keeping up with; he wouldn't say it out loud, but he had actually started to agree with what his hollow said about him 'getting in the way' while fighting Byakuya: if letting one's inner hollow take control could provide such speed, power and overall superiority, then having such a power under control would be a fearsome sight, not that anyone like that existed... right?

"**Is that all there is to a captain? Che, no wonder Aizen left for Hueco Mundo, what with you weaklings blocking him from attaining greater power.**"; Byakuya, who had locked blades with the Queen once more, scoffed: "Sosuke Aizen is the lowest form of rebellious scum, and a fool as well; regardless of how powerful he might have become and how many followers he had gathered, his fate is the same as all those who would dare disturb the peace of the Soul Society. You are no exception, _abomination_."; the Queen not only wasn't offended, she had actually laughed at his insults: "**Spare me the act, Kuchiki! If you have the time to talk big in the middle of a fight, then you should use it to crush and destroy your foes! You think that your words can hurt me? Rukia may adore you, Kuchiki, but I don't give a shit about whether you live or die. While we're at the subject of Rukia, though...**" - ignoring the situation, the Queen came closer to Byakuya and whispered in his ear: "**... she's not your sister by blood, and she looks just like dear Hisana; no matter how much a noble you think you are, there's no way you haven't thought of Rukia like _that_ at least once... am I right, _nii-sama?_**"

Though it was only the second time this had ever happened to him (his first time being when he fought Ichigo), Byakuya lost control over his temper and leapt away from the Queen, preparing to sic his Bankai on her once more. Ichigo was shocked as the Queen did not stir as Senbonzakura Kageyoshi completely enveloped her, screaming her name in fear; he was shocked once more as he realized that the Queen had, somehow, appeared behind Byakuya and used her upgraded Hakuren on him, the only areas of his body unaffected being his eyes.

As he fell to the ground, almost his whole body immobilized, the Queen grinned evilly at him, explaining: "**That comment really sent you over the edge, huh? While I admit you've put up a decent fight, not even your mind is immune to the anger that blinded you, making you believe that you had caught me while I simply used Sonido a fraction of a second before I was engulfed by the attack in order to sneak up on you and end the fight. No matter how good you are, with only your eyes able to move, you are as helpless as a newborn baby - I could crush you in an instant if I pleased so and you wouldn't even be able to scream... Doesn't that make your spine chill with fear?**"

Approaching his 'frozen' body, the Queen adjusted her sword in preparation for the final strike; she easily ignored Ichigo's pleas for her to stop and think about the consequences of her actions, the only thought in her mind being to kill anyone who would make the mistake of getting between her and Ichigo.

Before she could bring down the blade, she felt herself being tugged back; it was weak, though, so she ignored it and prepared to strike once more. She was tugged once more, but it wasn't her body being pulled: she felt her consciousness being forced back into Rukia's inner world. Angrily looking around to understand what the hell happened, the Queen's eyes momentarily widened only for her to narrow them bare her teeth in anger at the image she was seeing before her: clutching the beautiful Sode no Shirayuki in all its glory, Kuchiki Rukia glared at her hollow as she prepared to fight for the throne...!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

* * *

It was the first time the two had actually met one another, but there was no love lost between Rukia and the Queen; looking at one another, they saw their worst features materialized: the Queen saw Rukia as weak, depending on the strength of others and spineless since she would rarely stand up to Byakuya; to Rukia, the Queen was nothing short of a heartless monster, a twisted image of herself that would stop at nothing to cause her and everything she held dear, as much pain and misery as possible.

The silence was incredible: aside from the howling of the snowy winds and the occasional rustling of the trees in the white snow-field that was Rukia's inner world, there was nothing else - to these two warriors, this battle would determine their fates alongside the fates of everyone they knew.

Scoffing, the Queen spoke: "**So you're finally awake. Must've been Shirayuki who dug you out of the snow, huh?**"; Rukia looked at the Queen with her well-known 'Kuchiki face' and said: "Sorry to disappoint you, but this was my effort and mine alone. It's true, I've been helpless so far to regain control over my body without you letting me do so, but I sensed that Ichigo was in trouble, so I regained my senses and here we are."; the Queen grinned evilly: "**So, how does it feel to meet me for the first time? I must admit, I'm rather grateful to have not taken the shape of someone ugly or fat; what about you, though? Are you scared, disgusted, seeing your own face upon a body that's not yours?**"; Rukia remained calm: "As far as I'm concerned, you're nothing more than a copycat - one that fails miserably, too. If you think such cheap tricks could affect me, then you are mistaken: I know who I am, and I am _not_ you."

The Queen's grin vanished: "**Is that so? Hmph. You're naive, Rukia - just where do you think it is that hollows such as I and that of Ichigo originate from?**" - she pointed at Rukia - "**I am the darkness that resides deep within your heart, I hold within me your greatest fears, your worst memories and your darkest wishes and desires. Think of me what you want, but know this: there is no secret, no information that you could possibly hide from me.**"; "Regardless, you do not belong in the world of the living, nor do you belong in my world; if words are all you can think of to fight me..." - Rukia formed her battle stance - "... then you'll be gone before you could even land a single hit on me."; the Queen mimicked Rukia's stance, scowling: "**I guess you're right. Talking big can only get me so far and only against some people in particular; if my words have no affect on you, then I will carve them into your body, Kuchiki Rukia**."

Thus, the battle for the throne of snow had begun.

* * *

Karakura Town

With no one in control of the body, Rukia had gone berserk and began randomly slashing buildings and firing ceroes; that is, until she spotted Byakuya, still paralyzed on the ground. Her wolf-like mask extending and beginning to cover her face, she made her way to Byakuya, ready to end him much to Ichigo's dismay. Seeing her like this, Ichigo became frustrated with his helplessness: "Shit... I can't let this happen... I have to stand up... I have to stop this...! Damn it, I hate being weak, I hate watching helplessly from the sidelines like this; I have to move... I have to -- !"

**_Che..._**

As Rukia prepared to finish Byakuya off, she found her wrist being held; turning around, she faced Ichigo, whose head was lowered. She prepared to finish him off as well, but he suddenly began laughing; his laugh low and menacing, Ichigo raised his head and looked at Rukia, revealing that the left half of his face was covered with a mask!

Grinning in a way that even Gin Ichimaru would consider creepy, 'Ichigo' said: "**Are you ready to play... _Queen_?!**"

* * *

Inner World

A single, frozen leaf floating in the wind was sliced into shreds as Rukia and the Queen clashed once more, the Queen being mostly on the offensive and not letting Rukia any chances to attack or prepare a spell. Rukia was at a disadvantage: while she was fairly good at swordsmanship, she would mostly rely on her potent spells to decimate her foes, meaning that close-combat was her weak spot; she cursed inwardly as the Queen's words about 'not being able to hide anything from her' finally sunk in, making Rukia realize that her techniques, fighting style and overall strategies - would most likely be useless against her doppelganger.

Noticing her troubled face, the Queen smirked as she began slashing faster and faster, forcing Rukia back with each hit; using her onslaught as a diversion, the Queen suddenly head-butted Rukia, then punched her in the stomach and gave her a powerful round-house kick, knocking Rukia to the snowy ground. Rukia had recovered quickly, which was fortunate for her because no sooner then she moved got up, the Queen had stabbed the place where Rukia's head was just a moment ago, resulting in Rukia's instincts kicking in and making her jump back to try and charge up a spell; giving up on the incantation, Rukia used a Saten Soukatsui, which - to her shock - the Queen had slapped away!

Seeing the shocked expression on Rukia's face, the Queen smirked again: "**Spells won't do you any good here, Rukia; while we're at that, your dances aren't going to do shit to me, either, so don't bother using those unless you're really that desperate.**"; knowing it was a taunt, Rukia did not let the Queen get the best of her, but her words were true enough: they both had the exact same arsenal of spells, dances and strategies, essentially making them equal; however, the Queen was physically and mentally more powerful in Rukia, effectively giving her the upper hand and most likely determining the fight soon enough. She wasn't about to just give up, though: be it nii-sama, Ichigo, Renji, Inoue and all her friends and allies, she simply had too much to lose, so giving up was not even remotely an option.

Rukia's determination was clear on her face, making the Queen scowl: yes, she knew that Rukia wouldn't let her obvious taunt get to her, but seeing the will to win on her face was making her blood boil. She had caught Rukia off-guard as she launched herself to the air, spinning vertically with her black Shirayuki, coming blindingly fast at her; Rukia just barely managed to roll out of the way and noticed the slash sign on the ground where the Queen had used her deadly attack. Not letting Rukia recover, the Queen used Sonido and appeared in front of her, using her feet to knock Rukia off of hers and kick her into the air; she then flew after Rukia, positioning herself above her and she used a Byakurai up-close, sending Rukia crashing into the snow.

Panting, Rukia slowly rose to her feet, glaring daggers at the Queen who coldly stared at her pathetic form; still determined, Rukia said: "I never would have imagined something this powerful has taken residence within me; however, the fact remains that if I lose to you, I'll lose everything and everyone that matters to me... I will _not_ let you have your way with them, you **monster**!"; the Queen flinched at the comment, but soon regained her stance and asked calmly: "**Do you know why it is that I'm so bent on taking over this body? Can you provide me with an answer as to what it is that I'm after?**"; Rukia raised an eyebrow in confusion: "I would imagine it would be to devour souls and fight powerful opponents; there's not much else hollows would willingly do, seeing as how they don't --"; "**They 'don't' what? Dream? Hope? Regret? You assume all these things without having actually spoken to a hollow before; you may call me a monster, Rukia, but the truth is that you know nothing about me.**"

Rukia glared at the Queen: "I know that you want to take over my body and that's more than enough reason for me to be on guard; hollows are natural predators, bent on killing and devouring their prey regardless of age, gender or religion - they eat whatever moves, even their own kind. If you really think I'm wrong about that, then by all means enlighten me."

The Queen sighed in annoyance: "**Very well, then, a question: how do you feel about Kurosaki Ichigo?**"


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

Note: for the fighting sequences, I suggest you listen to "Stand Up, Be Strong" to enhance the experience.

* * *

Back in Karakura Town, Ichigo's hollow and Rukia's berserk from fought viciously, the air itself vibrating from the clash of their blades; while we're on the subject of air, that which surrounded Ichigo's hollow was burning hot in representation of his excitement: not since he was let loose against Kuchiki Byakuya had he fought... well, just _fought_, and it felt damn good to finally stretch his muscles and let it rip, even if his opponent was a girl - not that it mattered, though, as he planned on having his way both in fighting and pleasuring himself later on.

"**Is that it? C'mon, you're fighting with your bare instincts, you can do far better than this shitty display!**"; the berserk Rukia only growled, the wolf mask covering her entire face, as she raced towards him once more; since the beginning of their battle, the berserk Rukia had fought without using Shirayuki nor did she use any spells: she simply charged at Ichigo's hollow like a wild beast, on all fours, swiping relentlessly at him with her claws without fear of consequences. It was just like he had said, she was fighting purely with her instincts, and crushing powerful opponents was fuelling those instincts.

"**Sorry, but unless you're going to get stronger, I'm gonna have to crush you now... Getsuga Tenshou!**"; to his shock and excitement, the berserk Rukia shot a Cero out of her mouth, cancelling out the Getsuga Tenshou in an explosive display. Oh yes, things were about to become much more interesting for Ichigo's hollow, and his body trembled with excitement and anticipation for what was about to come: if she was this determined in combat, then he **had** to make her his, to make her submit to him and be dominated by him.

* * *

"How do I feel... about Ichigo?"; Rukia stared at the Queen with widened eyes, having heard her somewhat random question, and at the middle of a fight, no less. Eventually regaining her senses, Rukia replied: "Ichigo is a dear friend to me, and he holds a special place in my heart; he saved my life and gave me the strength to face my past and become a better person. Why would you care about any of that, though?"; before Rukia could even blink, the Queen used Sonido and reappeared right on front of Rukia, slowly raising her unarmed hand and pointing at Rukia's chest, her eyes cold as she asked: "**You say that he holds a special place in your heart, Rukia? You refer to the heart so dismissively, as if it were an obvious fact that is known to all; but the truth is, you don't know what your heart is nor do you have any idea what it desires. As I've said before, I was 'born' out of your heart, your _true_ heart - you will not believe me when I say this, but I assure you it is true: there exists a part, deep within the core of your heart, that cares for Ichigo more than just a friend. I retained that part, even if it was just barely, as I sought him out the moment I had gained control over your body: I had tortured him, mocked him, tried my very best to break him. I was a fool. The reason I came after Ichigo was because he was calling me: he was the reason I had come to exist, and so our existences were bound to clash with one another at some point. Would you like to know what I found out about him, Rukia?**"

Before Rukia could reply, the Queen slapped her face _hard_, knocking her aside; not allowing her to recover, the Queen picked her up and brutally assaulted her with physical attacks, causing Rukia incredible amounts of pain that only by sheer will-power was Rukia able to remain conscious after taking it all. Holding her firmly by the hair, the Queen narrowed her eyes at Rukia, saying: "**His soul is wounded. His mind is in doubt and he is ruled by uncertainty and sadness. Do you realize what torture it is to watch him tread the path of self-destruction and know that no-one can help him? I would have expected you out of everyone to understand his suffering: like him, you were once alone and unaccepted; you, too, have lost someone precious to you; and just like Ichigo, you also watched helplessly as your comrades were injured and defeated. Out of everyone who knows him, Rukia, it should have been you who would comfort him and encourage him to go on; but what did you do? You decided to stay in the Soul Society, only returning when it was for the sake of the mission. You utterly disgust me, Kuchiki!**"

Taking advantage of the Queen's 'rant', Rukia silently mumbled an incantation and then said: "Saten Soukatsui!"; the Queen, who was caught off-guard, was knocked back, her torso emitting smoke as a result of the impact of the Saten Soukatsui at close range. Both the Queen and Rukia rose to their feet, and it was Rukia who first spoke, outraged at all she had heard: "You can't fool me, hollow! You've made it crystal-clear to me, your words are your greatest weapon: you think you can defeat me by weakening my resolve to fight and making me question my motives, but my will to fight will not falter!; the Queen, whose head was lowered and her fists clenched, spoke in an angry, yet broken, voice: "**You just won't listen, huh? The purpose of this entire fight is for me to be with Ichigo in peace; and yet, no matter what I - _we_ - do, this damned world... the humans... the shinigami... you all...**" - the Queen snapped her head up, her eyes blazing with rage - "**...YOU ALL REFUSE TO UNDERSTAND!!!**"

waves of black reiatsu began surrounding the Queen, showing her emotional distress, much to Rukia's shock and dismay: fighting one's inner hollow was one thing, but fighting it while it was even more mentally unstable than it was to begin with, would make winning nigh impossible. Drawing blood from her fists, the Queen proceeded to speak: "**You think you're his friend, you think you understand him, but you couldn't be more wrong! I've seen the very core, the very essence of Ichigo's soul, and his pain is unfathomable; his heart is a mere shell of what it used to be back when his mother walked among the living, and now he does not live - he merely exists. Yet, I've managed to remedy that: I've brought him happiness, I've shown him compassion and understanding, I've finally brought some peace into his shattered soul! But no-one cares, it's always 'hollow this' and 'hollow that', none of you can understand our bond! I will be his lover, his source of solace, I will even be his mother if it will serve to mend his soul, for I am the only one who can put him at ease; no matter what, I am forever bonded with Ichigo and I will put my very essence into making him whole, I will give him happiness, satisfaction, purpose, a sense of belonging, everything he has been deprived of! And if anyone gets in my way... I WILL KILL THEM ALL!!!**"

Rukia barely managed to react as the Queen charged at her, the killer intent oozing out of her and nearly paralyzing Rukia; in spite of her shock, Rukia managed to say: "You're insane... you've absolutely lost it! You want to be his mother?! You'll kill anyone who gets in your way?! You don't love Ichigo, you're _obsessed_ with him!"; the Queen grinned in a psychotic manner: "**Funny, that's exactly what he told me; but you know what? If there's anything in existence that's worth being addicted to, it's Ichigo!**"; the Queen head-butted Rukia, grabbing _her_ Sode no Shirayuki, effectively rendering Rukia unarmed. Rukia could only gasp and shake with fear as the Queen revealed a toothy, blood-thirsty grin, now with both Shirayuki blades in her hands.

"**Now... Time to end this, Kuchiki!!**"

* * *

The berserk Rukia was on her last leg: she was strong, yes, but Ichigo's hollow had far more reiatsu, stamina and was far more cunning; he prepared to impale her, with the intent of rendering her unconscious for later, but was shocked as none other than Kuchiki Byakuya suddenly appeared before him!

"**You! What the hell is this?! You're supposed to be paralyzed!!**"; Byakuya said nothing as he stabbed the mask of Ichigo's hollow too fast for him to dodge or defend. Ichigo's hollow screamed as his mask crumbled away to nothingness and Ichigo regained control over his body; not wasting any time, Byakuya explained things to Ichigo: as it turned out, Byakuya - in spite of his paralysis - was able to restore his mobility using medical spells he had learned at his youth; as to how he did that, Byakuya merely had to think of the spells in order to put them into action - true, they would be incredibly weak, not having a proper incantation and not said aloud - but the fight that ensued between Ichigo's hollow and the berserk Rukia, had given him more than enough time to stealthily recover himself and join the fight.

Noticing the tension on his face, Byakuya said: "I am willing to refrain from telling the head-captain about your hollow powers, should you be able to rescue Rukia; I sense that a struggle is taking place within her soul, and I believe that you are the only one who can end it the proper way. Can you do this, Kurosaki Ichigo?"; Ichigo looked determined as he said: "For Rukia, I'd even go to hell and back, Byakuya. Now, you should probably stand back, ok?"; seeing Byakuya walking back, Ichigo walked over to the berserk Rukia - who was struggling to get on her feet - and held her head, focusing his reiatsu on her, just as she did to him before.

* * *

Rukia did her best to dodge the Queen's assault as she swung the two Shirayuki blades in a succession of fast and powerful slashes; eventually being fed up with Rukia constantly running away, the Queen formed some distance between her and Rukia and ran at her with the two swords ready to strike - this would be incredibly stupid to do, seeing as how her attack was painfully predictable, but the Queen used Sonido constantly, changing the direction from which she was coming to assault Rukia: left, right, up, down, Rukia couldn't keep track of the Queen, placing her in grave danger.

Returning to Rukia's front, the Queen proved to be too fast for her as she horizontally slashed her with the two Shirayuki blades, making Rukia fall to her knees as a result of shock and blood-loss; the Queen tossed the white Shirayuki back to Rukia - mocking her - and she made her way to Rukia, sparing her a final cold stare as she raised the black Shirayuki above her head and chilly said: "**Farewell...**

**...Kuchiki Rukia.**"

_Thus the blade is swung down...

* * *

_

Next chapter's the final one, so make sure to check it out and review !


	18. White Heart, White Snow

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

Warning: Ichigo's probably going to be OOC, so prepare accordingly.

* * *

"STOP!!"

Turning around, the Queen's body froze as she witnessed her beloved Ichigo standing in the massive snowfield that was Rukia's inner world, his gaze pleading and his voice filled with concern, not necessarily only for Rukia. Ichigo made his way to her, but she narrowed her eyes at him and placed Shirayuki close to Rukia's neck: "**Just look away, Ichigo, it'll all be over in a matter of seconds.**"; "Are you insane?! This has to stop now, Queen, I can't let you go around hurting - let alone killing - any more of my friends!"; "**Don't be a fool, Ichigo: as long as _she_ has control over this body, we will never be able to live in peace - you see her as a friend, but does she understand you? Can she give you the comfort and pleasure I would provide you with in a moment's notice? I am doing this for you, Ichigo, and I will not be stopped.**"

The Queen prepared to slice Rukia's throat, but she was shocked as she could not bring herself to do so; gritting her teeth, the Queen tried in vain to force her body to act, but she all but stood still, Shirayuki already drawing blood from Rukia's throat, but not going any deeper. Suddenly, she couldn't hear anything: Ichigo's pleas, Rukia's gasps, the falling snow - she could only hear the memories of her time with Ichigo playing inside her mind; recalling all the events that had led the three of them to this moment, realization eventually dawned upon the Queen as she surprisingly dropped Shirayuki and only stared at Ichigo, staying completely still.

Ichigo was relieved that the Queen had come to her senses, but he was caught off-guard as she began walking to him, her face lowered; Ichigo lowered his blade as the Queen stopped in front of him, her voice filled with shame: "**I've made quite a mess, haven't I? To think that my will to be with you could cause so much turmoil... Yet, I'm aware of what needs to be done now.**"; the Queen raised her head and looked at Ichigo, her face showing sadness she brought a hand to his face and began caressing it: "**I've been selfish, blinded by my lust and ambition; only now do I realize that your happiness lies within your friends - though I would give anything to be a part of that circle, my presence would only bring more chaos and blood-shed. If I were to keep you to myself and kill anyone who got in the way, I would only be thinking of myself, denying you of the happiness that you deserve; hollow or not, I can't - I _won't_ - be the one to get in your way to being truly happy. Even if it means that we are to never see each other again... Knowing that you've finally found happiness would be well worth it.**"

Ichigo, in spite of his efforts to hide it, was breaking down at this confession, and his voice was proof of that: "Don't say that! You know I care about you - hell, I _love_ you, and there's just no way --";"**Ichigo. You know as well as I do, that I can't co-exist with Rukia: even if I were to gain the trust of your friends, the Soul Society and maybe even Hueco Mundo would be after me - no matter how you look at it, we could never be together in peace; I can't live knowing that I've taken away your chance of living a normal life like you've always wanted. I know that it's sad, Ichigo, but sometimes... well, when you love someone so very much, it's best to just let them go, for their sake; with that being said, I want... I want you to kill me.**"

Watching this display of emotions, Rukia's eyes nearly popped out when she heard the Queen's request; Ichigo, however, was shouting desperately: "What the hell are you saying?! You know I can't do that, I absolutely won't! You can't just ask me something like this so dismissively, not _you_!!"; the Queen let out a sad laugh: "**Always the thoughtful one; no matter what kind of shit you get yourself into, it's always everyone else you're worried about. I guess you really are 'one who protects'*, aren't you? But you need to understand this, Ichigo: you're not killing me, you're simply freeing me from my suffering: I fear for myself, yes, but knowing that just by being with me, you risk dying at the hands of the shinigami - I cannot being myself to making you suffer so. Please, Ichigo, just... let me go.**"

Ichigo somehow managed to hold back his tears as he slowly, yet surely, stabbed the Queen through the 'heart', causing her to slowly fade away; the Queen smiled as she felt his grip becoming stronger, knowing that even if this was goodbye, she would at least get what she wanted. Hugging him, the Queen said these final words as a tear made its way from her eyes to the snowy ground: "**Goodbye, Ichigo... and thank you. From the bottom of my heart... I thank you, for everything.**"

The Queen eventually faded away entirely, leaving Ichigo to fall to his knees, his hands supporting him as he let out a heart-breaking yell to the snowy field...

* * *

One week.

It had only been one week since Rukia regained control of her soul, and yet everything had gone back to normal... considering the circumstances.

Byakuya kept true to his word and told nothing of the event - the Queen and Ichigo's hollow - excusing this as a side-effect of fighting off the invading arrancar.

Orihime's memory of her abuse was wiped clean, filled up with the false memory of her being in a study marathon for a major exam; Ishida, however, was allowed to keep his memory as long as he said or did nothing to Inoue that would remind her of said events, not that he would even think of doing something like that. He did become somewhat protective of Inoue, not missing the chance to glare at Ichigo's direction, as well.

Yes, things were finally back to normal - but one Kuchiki knew that things weren't alright: Ichigo acted as if nothing happened, meaning that he would scowl as usual, beat up his dad once the latter would try and wake him up, beat up Kon for... well, being Kon and getting into banter with Rukia on a regular basis. It was because of Ichigo acting as if nothing happened, that Rukia knew that the orange-haired teen was troubled: at the very least, he could have acted indifferent, maybe even just sad, for a couple of days or so, but he had shown no signs of acknowledging what had taken place a mere week ago.

Rukia knew there was only one person who could help Ichigo, and she made her way to see that person...

Sitting in front of the lake, the Queen sighed as she looked at the beautiful frozen sight in front of her, hoping that she could somehow find something even remotely entertaining to do. She looked back when she heard: "We need to talk."; the Queen narrowed her eyes and scowled at Rukia - she didn't hate her, not anymore, but she wasn't quite fond of her, either.

Turning her head back to the lake, the Queen coldly said: "**What do you want, Kuchiki?**"; Rukia was unaffected by the tone of the Queen's voice, well aware of the fact that she (Rukia) was living the life that the Queen wished she could live; nevertheless, she didn't quite hate the Queen, either, understanding her loneliness and her need to validate her existence. Answering her question, Rukia said: "It's Ichigo: he needs help, and I think you're the only one who can give it to him."; those words hit the spot as the Queen momentarily tensed at the sound of Ichigo's name, eventually turning her head to Rukia, now frowning but not glaring: "**What happened to him?**"; "He's troubled, but he pretends nothing happened; even though I only got to see you two talk once, I know that you care a great deal for one another, so you're the only one who I believe can help Ichigo. Will you do it?"; the Queen rose to her feet, making her way to Rukia and eventually passing by her, saying: "**It goes without saying.**"

Back at Ichigo's room, the teen was merely gazing out of the window, sadly pondering about the events that had so recently taken place; he wished with all his heart that things would have gone differently, but alas - reality can sometimes deal blows that are painful even to the strongest of warriors and shatter the mightiest of hearts. He was so caught up in thinking, that he didn't notice the figure that had entered his room, eventually making its way to Ichigo and hugging him from behind. Ichigo had suspected it to have been Yuzu, but he had recognized those hands: "Rukia?"; "**That's just insulting: can't you even tell the difference between the two of us? I expected more from you, Ichigo.**"

Upon hearing the distorted voice, Ichigo's hopes came true as he turned around and faced the black & gold eyes that he had learned to love, and he all but hugged the Queen hard, making her blush: "**Hey, I know you're a teenager and all, but try to keep these damned hormones of yours on a leash, would you?!**"; oh, he had missed her so very, very much, and her return - though sudden - brought much relief to his wounded heart. Eventually letting her out of the hug and facing her, he said: "I thought I'd never see you again after the battle; how the hell did you manage to get here? Wait, you didn't...!"; the Queen chuckled: "**Don't worry about it, I'm over that whole 'taking over Rukia's body' thing; right now, I just want to talk to you. Rukia said that you've been feeling troubled lately - anything I can do to help with that?**"

Ichigo smiled sadly at her: "Just seeing you again feels damn good, but..." - Ichigo lowered his head a bit - "... it's just for now, isn't it? After we're done talking, I'm probably never gonna see you again. But that's just life, you know?"; the Queen sighed sadly: "**Life really can be a bitch sometimes, no doubt about it; but it's for that reason that I wanted to take this opportunity to make you happy, if only for a little while. So tell me, Ichigo, what can I do to make you happy?**"; Ichigo had all but blushed at this quesiton, trying to use hand gestures rather than words to explain.

Having failed to show his will through gestures, the Queen put an end to his attempts as she said: "**You can kiss me, Ichigo, I'm sure Rukia wouldn't mind it _too_ much; after all, you're not too bad on the eyes, in spite of your orange hair.**"; Ichigo allowed himself a rare laugh over this: if there was one thing he was grateful for the Queen to have, it was her sharp tongue and her seemingly endless supply of clever comebacks and (often) comical remarks. Ichigo and the Queen's faces drew closer and closer to each other, until they finally shared their real first kisses - sure, they've gone _far_ beyond that, but this was something that their bodies - not just minds - would remember forever; that kiss was filled with longing, lust and love, a perfect kiss to express their undying love.

"**I need to get going: Rukia told Renji she'd practice with him, and I don't think he'd fall for any of her excuses if I cause her to be late.**"; having said that, the Queen made her way towards the window, but Ichigo told her to stop, making her turn to him; he said: "I figured you should have a real name, rather than just a title - that, and the fact that you're not really the queen of Rukia's body anymore. I was thinking about Hikaru - you like it?"; Hikaru smirked: "**Oh, please - you just created an anagram of Rukia's name and added an 'H' for Hollow at the beginning! But yeah, I like it. Goodbye, Ichigo... I'll never forget you.**"; and with that, Hikaru jumped out of the window, leaving Ichigo to his thoughts - though it would take him some time, he would most definitely return to his normal state of mind thanks to her encouraging words.

Having returned to the inner world, Hikaru was about to return to sitting in front of the lake as she grabbed a hold of Rukia - who was about to return to her body - and, with a pleading look that was not like her, said: "**I want you to do something for me, Rukia: please, promise me that you'll do whatever you can to make Ichigo happy; with all the fights that are sure to come, Ichigo's going to need all the support - on and off the battlefield - he could get. Make his heart whole again... Rukia.**"; Rukia smiled warmly at Hikaru and said: "I'll do my best; but you know what? Even when I'm not there, Ichigo will have the support of the friends and allies he had made - no matter where he goes or how tough his opponents are, he'll always have our undying support."

Rukia turned away, returning to her body while Hikaru set down in front of the lake and looked at the sun that suddenly came out of the skies, smiling at the memory of her beloved strawberry.

_The End_

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Well, that's it for this story, hope you've all had a good time.

As for my next project, I need help in deciding what to do next:

1) Naruto / Elfen Lied crossover, featuring Garra

or

2) Bleach / Pokemon crossover, basically featuring Lucario throughout the various arcs of the Bleach franchise.


	19. Epilogue: Perspectives

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and all other manga/anime series & games mentioned and/or related merchandise and/or characters.

* * *

The following was done out of pure boredom and takes place after the Queen's and Ichigo's sexual experience in Rukia's inner world.

_**I want Him.  
**_

_**To feel the warmth of his body, enveloping me in ever-lasting bliss, where there are no worries, no consequences, no discrimination - only Him.**_

_**When our bodies became one, I became more than just a hollow: I felt his essence fill me, the flames of his soul - his passion - burning me from the inside, and it was wonderful; the way he touches me, caresses my skin with love and kindness, makes me all but ecstatic and lustful for his presence, to know that I am desirable to him. I will have him once more, and twice more and thrice more, so that our souls and bodies unite in pain and pleasure and bliss.**_

_**With Him, I am not a hollow - I am a woman: my body aches for his touch, I shiver with anticipation as I see his longing eyes staring deep into the depths of my very being and I scream with pleasure as he enters my body and fills me with his being; if I were to describe what he means to me, I would say that he makes me 'whole'.**_

_**I've come to develop a theory regarding my kind: when hollows devour other souls, they excuse it - that is, if they even have enough intelligence to talk - as satisfying their hunger; but hollows cannot die, and so their 'hunger' is meaningless - why is it, then, that they forever seek to devour the souls of others?**_

_**I finally understand it: they wish to negate their hollow existence and becoming 'whole' once more - they devour any and all souls they encounter, for they wish to experience that which was robbed from them, their entity - but they will not avail.**_

_**Those hollows eat because they wish to become whole, that is their wish, their 'love'; I know better than that, though: I have found 'love', I have found purpose within Him - my wish is for my existence to become entwined with His, so that we may both fill the holes that the cruel tides of fate had left within us.**_

_**Obsessed? Don't make me laugh.**_

_**He wants it just as much as I do, I can feel it: to feel the touch of someone close to him, to know that he his wanted and desired, he wishes to be accepted, just like other humans; to exist in loneliness will only serve in devouring him whole, destroying the very essence of his being and making him a hollow among the living.**_

_**To become that which He longs for - that is my desire: to become the source of his happiness, to make the his flames burn ever so stronger - I will stop at nothing to bring him the existence he deserves, that of never being alone and always having a place to call home, within me.**_

_**Even if this world chooses to mock us, judge us and discriminate us, it will make little difference: so long as we have one another...**_

_**...everything will be perfect - a perfect world.  
**_


End file.
